Page 81 - World of Animals - Issue #36

Animals we couldn’t live without….

Without big cats, 20
numbers of their
prey would rocket,
decimating the
vegetation. If tigers The number of years
become extinct, in which scientists
their habitat would estimate lions, tigers
lose its protection and other big cats may
from logging become extinct

Without big cats….
From the tiger’s stripes and the cheetah’s spots, are icons entwined in our lifestyles and cultures
to the unique spotted rosettes of the jaguar, across the globe, part of our shared history and
the iconic patterns of big cats are almost existence. A world without big wild cats would
instinctively recognisable to adult and child be a world starved of a thread of its history, its
alike. culture and its spirit. If we cannot save these
From cuddly toys as children, poetry icons from extinction, if we cannot muster the
through the ages, art on ancient rocks and will to do this for them, then what can we save?
modern canvas, to Christopher Robin’s Tigger,
Shere Khan and the Lion King, these majestic Craig Bruce, head of Asia Conservation
creatures touch our lives in so many ways. They Programmes at ZSL

Without corals…

No white sandy beaches to lay on, no dazzling fish, no protection from waves
and less food to eat. If coral disappeared, we would lose a giant chunk of
Earth’s biodiversity. We would lose over 2,500 species of coral animals that
build reefs, plus the thousands of other species that call them home; from the
vibrant fish that rely on them for food and shelter, to the thousands of crabs,

shrimp, starfish and urchins that need reefs to survive. Our reefs would dissolve
in an empty sea, taking away the coastline’s protection and eliminating the
world’s most beautiful beaches forever. ZSL is working around the world to
help communities protect their coral reefs from destruction and create Marine
Protected Areas where reef ecosystems have the best chance for survival.
Brian Zimmerman, curator of ZSL’s Aquarium

$375 billion

The estimated economic
impact due to the loss of jobs, Without coral reefs we could lose
food, and recreation should the whales, hawksbill sea turtles, spiny

Earth’s coral reefs disappear lobsters, butterfly fish and many more
Without amphibians…
Without amphibians, the forest at night would lack a cacophony of excited calls. We
would have more agricultural pests, predators would go hungry, streams and ponds
would clog up with algae, and we would lack the important pharmaceuticals that
have been developed from amphibian skin secretions. Unfortunately, despite their Frogs are an important A lack of frogs would lead to
a dramatic and rapid rise in
food source for snakes,
importance, amphibians remain underrated by many – in some environments, they can birds and small mammals. the number of mosquitoes,
even be as abundant as mammals and play a key role in the transfer of nutrients from They would struggle to as frogs that feed on them
aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems. ZSL is committed to improving the conservation survive without them provide pest control
status of Critically Endangered amphibians to safeguard these animals for the future.
Ben Tapley, team leader of herpetology at ZSL

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