Trinidad and Tobago has up to seven species in the animal kingdom that are endangered.
They are as follows :
• Antillean Manatee (Trichehus manatus)
• Blue and Yellow Macaw (ara ararauna)
• Leatherback Turtle
• Ocelot ( Felis pardalis)
• Pawi ( pipile pipile)
• Prehensile tailed Porcupine
• Yellow-Headed Parrot
These animals are protected under the “Conservation of Wild Life, Chapter 67:01, Laws of Trinidad and Tobago”.
We shall therefore take a further look into exploring these animals and why they have become endangered.
ANTILLEAN MANATEE (Trichechus manatus manatus)
The Manatee, which originated from the Sirenia family, has been in existence since some 50 million years ago. Its snout is round and is covered with very thick whiskers and their upper lips are flexible and large. Their eyes are small and their eyesight and hearing is very good. Its skin is thick, wrinkled and grayish in color. There are thick hair follicles that bristle to the touch which are scattered about its body. The manatee has two flippers on either side (frontal) of their body and their tail has a paddle-like flat shape that allows them to move very swiftly in the water. Manatees are vocalized and use this to express fear, anger, pain or sexual arousal. The reproductive rate is very slow as one calf is born every 3 to 5 years.
The manatee is a herbivore, therefore its diet consists of algae, grass and mangrove leaves and many other plants within its habitat. They can grow up to 13 feet in length and weigh up to 3500 pounds.
They can be found in the Nariva Swamp (a fresh water habitat) in Trinidad but chances of actually seeing these creatures are few. The Antillean manatee has been hunted for its hide and meat for hundreds of years and still is to date.
Illegal poaching, constant collisions with speed boats along with the low birth rate of the manatee has added this creature to the endangered species list of the IUCN.
THE MANATEE - A REALISTIC LOOK AT WHAT IS HAPPENING
BLUE AND YELLOW MACAW
The Blue and Yellow Macaw is also known as the Blue and Golden Macaw and is a member of the Macaw group of parrots which can found in swampy areas of Trinidad.
This bird has stunning blue wings and tail, while their underparts are golden and their forehead is green with a black chin and black beak. The part of their face that is white turns pink when they are excited. Some of them may have a more orange color on their underparts - found mainly on the breast.
The birds are paired for life, live in small families and when reproduction takes place both male and female protect their eggs.
Their species have been practically wiped out from the swamps over the last 40 years, due to poachers and industrial rice farming.
THE BLUE AND YELLOW MACAW
LEATHER BACK SEA TURTLE
The Leather Back Sea Turtle is the largest of all marine turtles and plays an important part in our ecosystem. They have been known to grow as large as a car! Trinidad and Tobago is one of the few tropical countries in the Western Atlantic Ocean that are used as their nesting grounds (March to August). Therefore, “turtle watching” has become a major part of outdoor activities around that time of year. During this period, people can be seen hiking through the forest in the Northern Range to set up camps in otherwise uninhabitable areas where they get up as early as 2am to watch the turtles meticulously dig holes and lay their eggs. This also happens in Tobago along the northern shore of the southern part of the island. This activity is usually supervised and protected by authorized guides, scientific crews and volunteers.
When the young turtles hatch, they make their way toward the ocean but not without a struggle for their lives. Other animals of prey such as crabs, birds, etc. get to the hatchlings before they reach the water or even hatch.
Although this amazing creature is agile in water, its movement is quite the opposite on land, therefore making it easy for poachers and hunters to slaughter the turtles for their exterior leathery shell and flesh.
THE LEATHER BACK TURTLE NESTING - TRINIDAD
OCELOT
The ocelot looks very much like a domestic cat but can grow up to four feet long and one and half feet tall. The fur of the Ocelot is both stunning and very distinguished as it has an ornate pattern of spots and stripes that stands out from other wildcats. It is even said that no two Ocelots have the same pattern of spots! It is nocturnal and hunts for its prey at night. Their diet consists mainly of small deer, rabbits, rodents and when available fish, hence they are very good swimmers. It’s litter size is about two, and both males and females have been known to share territories. The Ocelot is the main species and top predator in most of the natural habitation in Trinidad. However, it is considered endangered both nationally and internationally due to the fur trade and deforestation and is on the verge of extinction. The ocelot population has fallen so low that today they have been listed in CITES Appendix 1 as an endangered species.
THE OCELOT
PAWI ( pipile pipile or piping guan)
The piping-guan (pepile pepile) locally called the “pawi” is the only species of bird that is solely indigenous to Trinidad and can be found in the Northern Ranges of Trinidad. It can be described as a medium sized cracid galliform. It is a fairly big bird – about the size of a turkey, weighing about three kilograms. It has shiny black feathers, red legs, and a blue face and throat. Its sound is of the soft music of a pipe. It is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and of Immediate Conservation Priority on the IUCN Cracid Specialist Group Plan. As there are only about 200 birds left in existence today due to hunting and the loss of habitat and is also listed as one of the first three Environmentally Sensitive Species by the Environmental Management Authority.
THE PAWI (PIPING GUAN)
PREHENSILE - TAILED PORCUPINE
This porcupine can weigh between 4 to 11 pounds and is about 300 to 600 millimeters in length, it’s entire body except the tail (which is used for hanging and grasping) is covered in short spikes and their color runs from yellowish to orange-rust to brown to almost black. Their facial features include tiny bright eyes and a big round nose. It is a nocturnal vegetarian and belongs to the rodent family. They predominantly live in trees and hardly ever come down to the ground. They have become an endangered species because of hunting and deforestation.
THE PREHENSILE - TAILED PORCUPINE
YELLOW-HEADED PARROT
This parrot ranges between 14 to 15 inches in length and has eyes with orange irises and most of its plumage is green. Yellow markings can be found at the crown, lores , thighs and can occasionally be found around the eye area. Red markings appear on the “bend” of the wing where a yellow-green color marks the edges. On its wings, the primaries are violet-blue, with the secondary also showing off the violet-blue at the tips and outer web. The tail has a yellow-green base with red tail feathers. Their beak is “light bone” in color and their feet are light grey.
Back in their natural habitat the parrots mate for life, however their sex is not easily identified as both sexes look the same. Their diet consists of fruits, berries, nuts, seeds and insect larvae.
Unfortunately this beautiful creature is facing extinction due to habitat loss and the selfish act of trapping these birds for the pet market because of their great potential to mimic sound and speech.
THE YELLOW HEADED PARROT
In conclusion, it is my opinion that these endangered species are keystones in our ecosystem. It saddens me when I think of the manner and length of time it has taken to impliment the conservation of these creatures by the leaders of my country - both past and present.
I am also saddened by the realization that my children and their children may not have the privilege to experience these animals who have survived for centuries before us , only to become extinct because of us.
Whilst Trinidad is economically and technically advanced, I find it disappointing that is clearly a lack of foresight, and perhaps ignorance, among those who have a significant influence on the well-being of these animals.
I truly hope that my country’s regulatory attempts to put a stop to such narcissistic acts and constant want to “develop” will have the intended result.
If our conservation efforts are not enforced and improved, then we'll only be left with pictures in a book, and perhaps nostalgic memoirs of days gone by when we experienced or heard exciting “chance encounter” stories of these wondrous creatures.
Bibliography
Environmental Studies, Second Edition 2003, Barry Barker
Website References
http://www.abf90.dial.pipex.com/ocelot.htm
http://www.ahailey.f9.co.uk/pawi.htm
http://www.animalcorner.co.uk/rainforests/parrots_blueyellow.html
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/ocelot.html
http://www.avianweb.com/yellowcrownedamazon.html
http://www.chagdev.com/Pages/Chag-Endagered.htm
http://www.manateetrust.org.tt/aboutus.htm
http://www.manateetrust.org.tt/manateedet.htm
http://www.memphiszoo.org/media/documents/MarchApril2008.pdf
http://www.nalis.gov.tt/Agri/Agri_PAWIbird.html
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/SmallMammals/fact-porcupine.cfm
http://www.pariasprings.com/aboutus/conservation.html
http://www.parrotchronicles.com/marchapril2004/trinidad.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Indian_Manatee
Picture and You Tube References
http://www.ahailey.f9.co.uk/pawi.htm
http://users.breederoo.com/Jade/images/content/Yellow-crowned_Amazonforweb.jpg
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/SmallMammals/fact-porcupine.cfm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apo3taOwwQE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtVC6mJynrw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-v2Y5JrJtc
http://www.pariasprings.com/aboutus/conservation.html
2 comments:
This post was fascinating. I didn't realise that Trinidad had manatees and ocelots. Living in South Florida, I've always been aware of the plight of the manatees or sea cows as they are sometimes called and to see one is definitely a great experience. I agree with you that it is a shame that the goverment of Trinidad and Tobago have not been more responsible towards the beautiful creatures that they have been blessed to have as part of their environment. However, with blogs like this raising awareness, hopefully others will soon catch on and work towards a more peaceful co-existence with these animals.
You did a wonderful job highlighting the plight of all of these amazing creatures. Hopefully, all countries will come to the realization that every creature, not just the human variety, is important to the ecosystem.
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