Growing up in Annapolis, I developed a fascination for wildlife that has increased as I age. Visiting zoos, I was often left behind studying the animals and marveling at nature’s diverse creatures.
I sat enraptured watching “Wild Kingdom” and other nature shows — and still do. This intensive interest led to my first full-time job after law school in 1969 with the National Wildlife Federation and to my last one as vice president of American Bird Conservancy leading national bird conservation efforts.
My concern for wildlife led me to my leadership role on environmental issues during 16 years in the legislature and to teaching a graduate course in wildlife management using case studies on which I was involved.
Perhaps no other issue brings me such great sadness as the eradication of wildlife species, called a biological annihilation leading to the sixth Great Extinction. This is the only one brought on by humans and is the first mass extinction in 65 million years.
Even charismatic megafauna such as rhinos, elephants, cheetahs, lions, giraffes, jaguars, and orangutans are in radical decline. The threat of extinction looms for 26% of mammals, 41% of amphibians, and six of seven sea turtle species. Insect populations have declined by 45% in 40 years.
One in eight bird species (1,469) are threatened with global extinction, and iconic birds such as the Atlantic Puffin and Snowy Owl are in trouble as are 10 of the world’s 18 species of penguins. Forty percent of all bird species are declining. Since 1970, the United States and Canada have lost nearly 3 billion birds, a massive reduction in abundance involving hundreds of species, from beloved backyard songbirds to long-distance migrants.
Why is this human-induced avian diminution occurring? BirdLife International lists the causes in order of magnitude starting with 74% of globally threatened birds affected by farming. Logging, invasive species, hunting and trapping, climate change and severe weather, and residential and commercial development are the other main threats. Unfortunately, the situation is deteriorating.
In 50 years of conservation work, I have found that if we designed a systematic approach to wiping out avian species, there isn’t much more we could do that we haven’t done, either deliberately or inadvertently. We destroy and fragment forest habitat and drain wetlands and convert it to farms and development and then ramp up pesticide use.
We unleash invasive species like black rats, domestic cats, and Burmese pythons into the wild causing wildlife Armageddon. About 90% of all bird and reptile extinctions and 68% of mammal extinctions have occurred on islands mostly from introduced rats, cats, and other invasives. Feral cats on islands are responsible for 14% of all such extinctions and can kill more than a million nesting seabirds on an island in one year.
Because of irresponsible pet owners, free-roaming cats in this country kill 1.4 billion to 3.7 billion birds and 6.9 billion to 20.7 billion mammals annually. Victims include endangered species such as Piping Plovers. Predation by domestic cats is the No. 1 direct, human-caused threat to birds in the U. S. and Canada.
Eradication of introduced invasive mammals on islands provides incredible opportunities to prevent extinctions and allow prey species and their ecosystems to rapidly recover. Keeping cats indoors also will prevent the needless and cruel deaths of billions of birds, mammals, and reptiles.
We are hunting and trapping billions of birds and other critters legally and illegally. Bushmeat has led to zoonotic diseases in humans including the coronavirus.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services does a good job killing invasive species but spends millions of dollars killing 1.5 million native animals in managing “problems” caused by wildlife. In 2018 these killings included 10,300 Black and Turkey Vultures, 10,005 Ravens, 552 Great Blue Herons, and 500 Robins and owls.
Each year, 6.8 million birds are killed colliding with more than 150,000 communication towers and their guy wires in the. U.S. and Canada. Most of these TV, radio, and cell tower collisions could be avoided by eliminating steady burning red aviation safety lights and using strobe lights instead and eliminating guy wires where possible.
Up to a billion U.S. birds die in collisions with glass each year at 100 million commercial and residential buildings. Tower and building mortality occur mainly in migratory birds facing declines. Glass mortality could be avoided even at your home’s windows by following recommendations of the American Bird Conservancy Bird-Smart Glass Program.
At least 130 million birds are killed annually in collisions with 500,000 miles of electrical transmission lines and eagles and other raptors are unnecessarily electrocuted at some of the poles.
Most all of this tragic loss of our feathered friends could be avoided, but only humans that cause these deaths can act to prevent them.