As per tradition, on February 14 we celebrate the feast of lovers. Many couples take the opportunity to indulge in a romantic date, perhaps by candlelight. Pity though, that in the animal kingdom more and more species find it difficult to mate in freedom. For them, unfortunately, there is no Valentine's Day and courtship rituals are constantly hampered by the consequences of man's actions. Which? First of all climate change, which are making relationships between animals more difficult. But not only. To have a very strong impact on the procreation of different animals there are also other phenomena including deforestation, poaching and pollution.
There are now many species whose mating rituals are increasingly hindered. These include orangutans, bees and other pollinating insects, elephants, humpback whales, sea turtles and fireflies.
Index
Orangutans increasingly threatened by deforestation
The orangutan is a fairly solitary animal. The males, in fact, approach the females only during the breeding season. Unfortunately, however, deforestation is causing many problems for these mammals. The rainforests, habitat of the species, are being destroyed more and more often due to the growing demand for precious woods and land to be converted to the cultivation of palm oil. Thus, orangutans are finding it increasingly difficult to move and move in search of a partner and their reproductive rate is decreasing a lot.
Read also: International day of the orangutan: we are losing the battle to save it from extinction
Humpback whales disturb from noise pollution
Humpback whales, like other cetaceans, emit characteristic sounds to exchange fundamental information, such as the location of food, threats related to the presence of predators but also to search for a partner during the reproductive season. The increasing noise pollution of the seas and oceans, mainly caused by large ships and boats, is causing a lot of stress to humpback whales and hindering communication between specimens of this species, thus also putting reproduction at risk.
Read also: By banning hunting, the population of Atlantic humpback whales has risen from 450 to 25!
Elephants: increasingly victims of poaching
Poaching is one of the most frequent threats to elephants. Mostly male elephants and some adult females are killed, in particular the specimens that have larger tusks and therefore guarantee greater profits to poachers. Due to this situation which leads to a sort of man-made selection, in recent times more and more elephants are being born without tusks. This is due to the fact that, due to poaching, elephants with smaller tusks or no tusks are more likely to survive and reproduce.
@tsmepodda/Shutterstock
Read also: Ethiopia has just seen one of the largest elephant massacres killed in a single day by poachers
Light pollution - a major threat to fireflies
Even the reproduction of fireflies is endangered by pollution, especially light pollution. In fact, the latter is considered the second most serious threat to fireflies after pesticides. The disturbance caused by artificial lighting confuses fireflies and affects their mating ritual. And, in many cases, this "distraction" prevents females from identifying males of their own species. Several species of firefly, in fact, rely exclusively on bioluminescence to attract partners.
Read also: Insect apocalypse: They are dying out at an unprecedented rate, the consequences will be dire
The consequences of climate change on sea turtles
For sea turtles, the sex of the unborn child is influenced by the incubation temperature of the eggs, which the mothers hide in holes dug in the sand. In fact, warmer nests lead to the birth of females, while cooler nests lead to the birth of males. But due to global warming, the scenario that lies ahead is anything but reassuring. We may gradually see the total disappearance of male specimens, as if the threats - including plastic and fish waste pollution and habitat loss - are not enough for this species.
Read also: Without tourists, leatherback turtles return to nest on deserted beaches: this hasn't happened for at least 20 years
The reproduction of bees and pollinating insects at risk due to pesticides
About 90% of wild flowers need the precious intervention of bees and butterflies to reproduce. However, the massive use of pesticides in the agricultural sector and the degradation of habitats are increasingly contributing to undermine this essential process for humanity. In various parts of the world we are now witnessing the dramatic decline of species such as monarch butterflies and many other pollinators, a phenomenon that seriously endangers numerous ecosystems and the future of the planet.
In short, because of man and his actions for animals there is really nothing to celebrate. On the occasion of Valentine's Day, WWF invites everyone to make a special gift to the people we love, giving them the adoption of an endangered species, including dolphins, elephants and orangutans.
Source: WWF
Read also:
- Valentine's Day, the terrible Mexican love ritual that is about to kill thousands of hummingbirds
- Monarch butterflies on the verge of extinction: the lowest number of specimens has been reached
- International day of the orangutan: we are losing the battle to save it from extinction
