April 5, 2014

What Would Happen if Wildlife Disappeared from the Globe?

0 Boost Score Tanmay Sharma (1,510,185)

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“One fine day when I was enjoying leisure time in my backyard, a beautiful birdie came and settled beside my chair.

I offered her some grains but she refused. She said she will have them only when I will answer her question. Her question was, “Though I am a bird I too breathe, like you the almighty has created me, then why do you humans have the right to live and not me?’ I looked at her speechless and before I could utter a word, my dream broke.”

Though my dream broke, the question is reverberating in my ears. The bird was right; her question was valid. Be it a bird, a mammal or a reptile, every wild species has equal right to survive and prosper.

However, we humans, being the so-called superior race are least bothered about our survival. All we are concerned about is “our growth and development.” In fact, many times in the name of development we snatch away the abode of the innocent wild beings.

We do so because we don’t understand the importance of wildlife, nor are we aware of the impact of wildlife extinction.

Thus, this content is an attempt to shed some light on the importance of wildlife.

Gifts from wildlife to humans.

After a tiring day at the office, when we stroll around a park, breathe in the first air, hear the sweet chirp of birds, see the beautiful blooming flowers—all these make us forget all of our stress and anxiety. In fact it has been scientifically proven that a nature walk is one of the best stress busters.
Why do people opt for trekking, hiking, camping, rafting and wildlife tours? Besides giving peace of mind, nature and wildlife also provide a thrilling escape from our monotonous lives.
Be it food, clothing or timber, for everything we are dependent on one or more species of flora and fauna.

A support to the ecological and biological cycles.

In order to ensure proper functioning of the biosphere, there needs to be continuous interaction between animals, plants and microorganisms. Introducing any new species can disturb the whole ecosystem. Similarly, the extinction of any species leads to a mess in the ecosystem.
There are various biological processes like germination, the nutrient cycle, seed dispersal, predation, soil generation, waste breakdown, habitat maintenance and pest control for which the presence of wildlife is very essential.

Boon for Science and Medicine

The days have gone when medical discoveries were made via traditional chemistry principles. Nowadays, scientists depend on wildlife for developing new drugs or treatments. For instance:

One of the Australian amphibians, the Red-Eyed Tree-Frog (scientific name: Litoria chloris) and its relatives provide a compound that can help in preventing HIV infection.
Animal research helped in the development of drug Tamoxifen, which is used for fighting breast cancer.

Boosts the tourism sector and, thus, the economy.

There are animals that made their countries proud and famous. For instance:

Bengal Tigers – India
Great Panda – China
Kangaroos – Australia
Bulls – Spain
Kiwi Bird – New Zealand

People from far and wide visit these destinations for getting a glimpse of these wild species. There was a time when the government of India banned tiger tourism in the core area of tiger reserves, due to the poor economic conditions of the nation. Eventually, the government had to remove the ban.

Wildlife tours contribute a lot to the tourism sector and the funds raised by them boost the economy.

Now imagine the world without wildlife! Can We?

No wildlife means a disaster for ecological and biological process. Further, none of our daily needs could be fulfilled. A mere concrete jungle would not help us in earning our daily bread and butter. The world with no animals, birds, plants or micro-organisms simply means a world in darkness. In a nutshell, people need wildlife more than it needs us.

It’s high time, act like humans!

With God’s grace, humans are considered intellectual beings. We have the ability to understand situations and make scenarios better. Then why can’t we use our intellect to save the endangered wildlife species?

There is a high need to save the wild beings, to conserve them. The first step towards wildlife conservation is educating more and more people about wildlife and their importance. We can also visit different national parks and wildlife destinations to understand the world in the wild in a better way.