Posted by Carlisle | Posted in Wild Animals | Posted on 02-11-2011
Tags: endangered wild animals, Spanish imperial eagle, supplemental feeding, wild animal
Endangered wild animals are sometimes placed in captivity to enable researchers and conservationists to breed them under controlled environments. This is one way of protecting the animals from predators, natural calamities and other extenuating circumstances that could ruin their chances of populating.
Recently though, a new study was released by 3 different groups in Spain who have been working to protect the Spanish imperial eagle. These organizations and agencies are the GIR Diagnostics, Estacion Biologica de Donana, and the Museo Nacional de Ciences Naturales which are all science and research-based groups. Their concerns were that supplemental feedings might be dangerous to wild life instead of being good for them. They feel that in the case of the Spanish imperial eagle, feeding them farm- bred rabbit means they do not get all the necessary nutrients they need. These nutrients would be complete if they fed in wild rabbits.Basically, they are worried that the food given to commercially bred rabbits are far different from what a wild rabbit would eat. This may cause immune problems with the birds or cause some kind of mutation.This is alarming especially in cases where the endangered animal in captivity is at a critical level, just like the Spanish imperial eagle. Right now, the count is approximately 500 of these eagles living wild, and many of them are in Spain. If the eagles in captivity and exposed to commercially bred rabbits are released, they could harm instead of help this number increase.
An experiment was conducted by the groups, and the results confirmed their worst fears. There are chemical components in domesticated rabbits that are not found in wild rabbits. These are the diclazuril and fluoroquinolones antimicrobial agents which are ingredients for vet pharmaceuticals. By eating these domesticated rabbits, the eagles became exposed to these agents and it would eventually affect their liver and immune system and compromises the protein that helps them fight bacteria.
They announced their findings because these results affect not just the Spanish imperial eagles but also other endangered animals being held in captivity like the lynx, condors, vultures, and bears.
Reference: Illustrated Encyclopedia of endangered animals.
