November 24, 2009 Southern Africa’s plains zebras and the asiatic wild ass have been identified among animals whose migratory habits have been left in tatters. A quarter of the world’s migrating species are suspected to no longer migrate at all because of human changes to the landscape, and all of the world’s large-scale terrestrial migrations have been severely reduced. A recent research paper has presented the first analysis of dwindling mass migrations, and noted the plight of the plains zebra (Equus quagga) and the asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus), which live in central Asia. “Conservation science has done a poor job in understanding how migrations work, and as a result many migrations have gone extinct,” says Grant Harris, of the Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation at the American Museum of Natural History, who is lead author of the paper. “Fencing, for example, blocks migratory routes and reduces migrant’s access to forage and water. Migrations can then stop, or be shortened, and animal numbers plummet.” … Human activity now prevents large groups of these animals from following their food. Fencing, farming, and water restrictions have changed the landscape and over-harvesting of the animals themselves has played a role in reducing the number of migrants. To assess the impact of human activity on migrations, Harris and his colleagues gathered information on all 24 species of large (over 20 kilograms) ungulates known for their mass migrations. Animals included in the study, for example, range over Arctic tundra (Caribou), Eurasian steppes and plateaus (Chiru and Saiga), North American plains (bison and elk), and African savannahs (zebra and wildebeests). … All 24 species in the current study lost migration routes and were reduced in number of individuals. The analysis found drastic curbing for six species in particular – the plains zebra, asiatic wild ass, the springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis), black wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou), the blesbok (Damaliscus dorcas) and the scimitar horned oryx (Oryx dammah) of northern Africa. …
Zebra, asiatic ass migrations left in tatters via Apocadocs
