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What happens when humans meddle with nature?

Discussion in 'Wildlife & Nature Conservation' started by UngulateNerd92, 25 Nov 2022.

  1. UngulateNerd92

    UngulateNerd92 Well-Known Member Premium Member 5+ year member

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    Tucson, Pima County, Arizona
    Seven ways in which our destruction of the natural world has led to deadly outcomes.

    1. As Indian vultures decline, the number of rabies cases rise

    In the early 1990s, vultures across India started dying inexplicably. Long-billed, slender-billed and oriental white-backed vultures declined to the brink of extinction, with the number of India’s most common three vulture species falling by more than 97% between 1992 and 2007. Six other species were in sharp decline too. Scientists started testing the dead birds and worked out they had been exposed to diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug routinely given to cattle in south Asia at the time. The vultures fed on the carcasses of cows and were poisoned.

    That was the beginning of a far-reaching chain reaction. As vulture populations crashed, cow carcasses started to pile up, and the numbers of rats and wild dogs surged. Dogs became the main scavengers at dumps previously used by vultures. Data suggests that from 1992 to 2003, dogs increased by 7 million. The number of dog bites soared and rabies infections shot up, causing tens of thousands of people to die each year. In 2006, diclofenac was banned, and vulture populations have slowly started to recover.

    https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.amp...at-happens-when-humans-meddle-with-nature-aoe
     
    Last edited: 25 Nov 2022
  2. Pantheraman

    Pantheraman Well-Known Member

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    Location:
    Shelby, Ohio
    The message I want to tell people with the story I mentioned earlier: you can't meddle with or control nature. As well as warn people about some questionable individuals to say the least.