Editing Wildlife

{{short description|Undomesticated organisms that grow or live wild in an area without being introduced by humans}}
{{Other uses}}
{{redirect|Wild animals|other uses|Wild Animals (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Wildlife at Maasai Mara (Lion).jpg|thumb|A [[lion]] (''Panthera leo''). Lions are an example of [[charismatic megafauna]], a group of wildlife species that are especially popular in human culture.|alt=A lion (Panthera leo)]]

'''Wildlife''' refers to [[domestication|undomesticated]] animals and uncultivated plant species which can exist in their natural habitat, but has come to include all [[organism]]s that grow or live [[wilderness|wild in an area]] without being [[species|introduced]] by [[human]]s.<ref>{{cite book |last=Usher |first=M. B. |year=1986 |title=Wildlife conservation evaluation: attributes, criteria and values |publisher=[[Chapman & Hall]] |location=London, New York |isbn=978-94-010-8315-7}}</ref> Wildlife was also synonymous to [[game (hunting)|game]]: those [[bird]]s and [[mammal]]s that were [[trophy hunting|hunted for sport]]. Wildlife can be found in all [[ecosystem]]s. [[Desert]]s, [[plain]]s, [[grassland]]s, [[woodland]]s, [[forest]]s, and other areas including the most developed [[urban area]]s, all have distinct forms of wildlife. While the term in [[popular culture]] usually refers to [[animal]]s that are untouched by human factors, most scientists agree that much wildlife is [[human impact on the environment|affected]] by [[human behavior|human activities]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Wildlife: Destruction, Conservation and Biodiversity |last1=Harris|first1=J. D. |last2=Brown |first2=P. L. |publisher=[[Nova Science Publishers]] |year=2009}}<!-- note: this definition has been copy-pasted from https://www.novapublishers.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=16334 -- prior to editing this ref> --></ref> Some wildlife threaten human safety, health, property and [[quality of life]]. However, many wild animals, even the dangerous ones, have value to human beings. This value might be economic, educational, or emotional in nature.

Humans have historically tended to separate [[civilization]] from wildlife in a number of ways, including the legal, social and moral senses. Some animals, however, have [[philanthropy|adapted]] to [[suburb]]an environments. This includes [[urban wildlife]] such as [[feral cat]]s, dogs, mice, and rats. Some religions declare certain animals to be sacred, and in modern times, concern for the [[natural environment]] has provoked [[environmentalism|activists]] to protest against the exploitation of wildlife for human benefit or entertainment.

Global wildlife populations have decreased significantly by 68% since 1970 as a result of human activity, particularly [[overconsumption]], [[population growth]], and [[intensive farming]], according to a 2020 [[World Wildlife Fund]]'s ''[[Living Planet Report]]'' and the [[Zoological Society of London]]'s [[Living Planet Index]] measure, which is further evidence that humans have unleashed a [[sixth mass extinction]] event.<ref>{{cite news |last=Greenfield |first=Patrick |date=September 9, 2020 |title=Humans exploiting and destroying nature on unprecedented scale – report |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/10/humans-exploiting-and-destroying-nature-on-unprecedented-scale-report-aoe |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=September 10, 2020 |archive-date=September 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200909233150/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/10/humans-exploiting-and-destroying-nature-on-unprecedented-scale-report-aoe |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Woodyatt |first=Amy |date=September 10, 2020 |title=Human activity has wiped out two-thirds of world's wildlife since 1970, landmark report says |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/09/world/wwf-report-species-decline-climate-scn-intl-scli/index.html |work=CNN |access-date=September 10, 2020 |archive-date=June 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610013601/https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/09/world/wwf-report-species-decline-climate-scn-intl-scli/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Different countries have various legal definitions for “wildlife”<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Tian |first=Miaomiao |last2=Potter |first2=Gary R. |last3=Phelps |first3=Jacob |date=2023-11-01 |title=What is “wildlife”? Legal definitions that matter to conservation |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320723004408 |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=287 |pages=110339 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110339 |issn=0006-3207|doi-access=free }}</ref> but according to [[CITES]], it has been estimated that annually the international wildlife trade amounts to billions of dollars and it affects hundreds of millions of animal and plant specimen.<ref>{{Cite web|title=¿Qué es la CITES? {{!}} CITES|url=https://cites.org/esp/disc/what.php|access-date=2020-11-15|website=cites.org|archive-date=2020-11-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201114010532/https://www.cites.org/esp/disc/what.php|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Interactions with humans ==

=== Trade ===
{{excerpt|Wildlife trade}}

==== For food ====
[[File:Manis temminckii (29645803646).jpg|thumb|A ground pangolin|alt=A ground pangolin|207x207px]] [[Stone Age]] people and [[hunter-gatherer]]s relied on wildlife, both plants and animals, for their food. In fact, some species may have been hunted to [[extinction]] by early human hunters. Today, hunting, fishing, and gathering wildlife is still a significant food source in some parts of the world. In other areas, hunting and non-commercial fishing are mainly seen as a [[sport]] or recreation. Meat sourced from wildlife that is not traditionally regarded as game is known as [[bushmeat]]. The increasing demand for wildlife as a source of traditional food in [[East Asia]] is decimating populations of sharks, primates, [[pangolin]]s and other animals, which they believe have [[aphrodisiac]] properties.

{{cquote|Malaysia is home to a vast array of amazing wildlife. However, illegal hunting and trade poses a threat to Malaysia's natural diversity.|||Chris S. Shepherd<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.traffic.org/home/2008/11/12/huge-haul-of-dead-owls-and-live-lizards-in-peninsular-malays.html|title=Huge haul of dead owls and live lizards in Peninsular Malaysia|last=Shepherd|first=Chris R.|author2=Thomas, R.|date=12 November 2008|publisher=Traffic|access-date=14 July 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401162549/http://www.traffic.org/home/2008/11/12/huge-haul-of-dead-owls-and-live-lizards-in-peninsular-malays.html|archive-date=1 April 2012}}</ref>}}

A November 2008 report from biologist and author Sally Kneidel, PhD, documented numerous wildlife species for sale in informal markets along the [[Amazon River]], including wild-caught [[marmoset]]s sold for as little as $1.60 (5 Peruvian soles).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://veggierevolution.blogspot.com/2008/10/monkeys-and-parrots-pouring-from-jungle.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100209210616/http://veggierevolution.blogspot.com/2008/10/monkeys-and-parrots-pouring-from-jungle.html|url-status=dead|title=Veggie Revolution: Monkeys and parrots pouring from the jungle....|first=Sally Kneidel|last=Phd|date=November 10, 2008|archivedate=February 9, 2010}}</ref>{{Self-published inline|date=July 2010}} Many Amazon species, including [[peccary|peccaries]], [[agouti]]s, [[turtle]]s, turtle eggs, [[anaconda]]s, [[armadillo]]s are sold primarily as food.

=== Media ===
[[File:Tamiasciurus douglasii 000.jpg|thumb|A [[Douglas squirrel]] (''Tamiasciurus douglasii)''|alt=A Douglas squirrel (Tamiasciurus douglasii)]]
{{See also|Nature documentary}}

Wildlife has long been a common subject for [[education]]al [[television show]]s. [[National Geographic Society]] specials appeared on [[CBS]] since 1965, later moving to [[American Broadcasting Company]] and then [[Public Broadcasting Service]]. In 1963, [[NBC]] debuted ''[[Wild Kingdom]],'' a popular program featuring zoologist [[Marlin Perkins]] as host. The [[BBC natural history unit]] in the [[United Kingdom]] was a similar pioneer, the first wildlife series LOOK presented by [[Sir Peter Scott]], was a studio-based show, with filmed inserts. [[David Attenborough]] first made his appearance in this series, which was followed by the series Zoo Quest during which he and cameraman Charles Lagus went to many exotic places looking for and filming elusive wildlife—notably the [[Komodo dragon]] in Indonesia and lemurs in Madagascar.<ref>{{cite web |title=Charles Lagus BSC |url=http://www.wildfilmhistory.org/person/222/222.html?personid=222 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113175714/http://www.wildfilmhistory.org/person/222/222.html?personid=222 |archive-date=13 November 2012 |access-date=14 July 2012 |website=Wild Film History}}</ref>
Since 1984, the [[Discovery Channel]] and its spinoff [[Animal Planet]] in the US have dominated the market for shows about wildlife on cable television, while on [[Public Broadcasting Service]] the NATURE strand made by WNET-13 in New York and NOVA by WGBH in Boston are notable. Wildlife television is now a multimillion-dollar industry with specialist documentary film-makers in many countries including UK, US, New Zealand, Australia, Austria, Germany, Japan, and Canada.{{citation needed|date=October 2019}}
There are many magazines and websites which cover wildlife including ''[[National Wildlife]]'', ''[[Birds & Blooms]]'', ''[[Birding (magazine)|Birding]]'', [[wildlife.net]], and ''[[Ranger Rick]]'' for children.

=== Religion ===
Many [[Human uses of animals#In mythology and religion|animal species have spiritual significance]] in different cultures around the world, and they and their products may be used as sacred objects in religious rituals. For example, eagles, hawks and their feathers have great cultural and spiritual value to [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]] as religious objects. In Hinduism the cow is regarded as sacred.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://faculty.marianopolis.edu/c.belanger/QuebecHistory/encyclopedia/Indiansandeaglefeathers.htm|title=The Significance of the Eagle to the Indians|last=Bélange|first=Claude|year=2004|encyclopedia=The Quebec History Encyclopedia|publisher=Marianopolis College|access-date=14 July 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103044651/http://faculty.marianopolis.edu/c.belanger/QuebecHistory/encyclopedia/Indiansandeaglefeathers.htm|archive-date=3 November 2012}}</ref>

Muslims conduct sacrifices on [[Eid al-Adha]], to commemorate the sacrificial spirit of [[Abraham in Islam|Ibrāhīm in Islam]] ( [[Abraham|Arabic-Abraham]]) in love of [[God in Islam|God]]. Camels, sheep, goats may be offered as sacrifice during the three days of Eid.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/03/eid-al-adha-2014_n_5927040.html|title=Eid Al-Adha 2014: Muslims Observe The Feast Of Sacrifice|work=Huffington Post|access-date=3 March 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321151331/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/03/eid-al-adha-2014_n_5927040.html|archive-date=21 March 2015}}</ref>

In Christianity the Bible has a variety of animal symbols, the [[Lamb of God|Lamb]] is a famous title of Jesus. In the [[New Testament]] the Gospels [[Mark the Evangelist|Mark]], [[Luke the Evangelist|Luke]] and [[John the Evangelist|John]] have animal symbols: "Mark is a lion, Luke is a bull and John is an eagle."<ref name="Catholic">{{Catholic|inline=1|wstitle=Animals in Christian Art}}</ref>

=== Tourism ===
{{excerpt|Wildlife tourism}}

== Suffering ==
{{excerpt|Wild animal suffering}}

==Loss and extinction==
{{See also|Biodiversity loss}}
[[File:World map of prehistoric human migrations.jpg|thumb|350px|Map of early [[human migrations]], according to [[Mitochondrial DNA|mitochondrial]] [[population genetics]]. Numbers are [[millennia]] before the present.|alt=World map of prehistoric human migrations]]
This subsection focuses on [[human impact on the environment|anthropogenic]] forms of wildlife destruction. The loss of animals from ecological communities is also known as ''[[defaunation]].''<ref name="def ant">{{cite journal|last1= Dirzo|first1= Rodolfo|first2= Hillary S.|last2= Young|first3= Mauro|last3= Galetti|first4= Gerardo|last4= Ceballos|first5= Nick J. B.|last5=Isaac|first6= Ben|last6= Collen|title= Defaunation in the Anthropocene|journal= [[Science (journal)|Science]]|date= 2014|doi= 10.1126/science.1251817|pmid= 25061202|volume= 345|issue= 6195|pages= 401–406|url= http://www.uv.mx/personal/tcarmona/files/2010/08/Science-2014-Dirzo-401-6-2.pdf|url-status= live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170511160501/https://www.uv.mx/personal/tcarmona/files/2010/08/Science-2014-Dirzo-401-6-2.pdf|archive-date= 2017-05-11|bibcode= 2014Sci...345..401D|s2cid= 206555761}}</ref>

[[Exploitation of natural resources|Exploitation]] of wild populations has been a characteristic of modern man since our exodus from Africa 130,000 – 70,000 years ago. The rate of extinctions of entire species of plants and animals across the planet has been so high in the last few hundred years that it is widely believed that a sixth great extinction event ("the [[Holocene Mass Extinction]]") is currently ongoing.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kolbert |first=Elizabeth |author-link=Elizabeth Kolbert |title=The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History |title-link=The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History |year=2014 |publisher=[[Henry Holt and Company]] |location=New York City |isbn=978-0805092998}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 =  Ceballos | first1 = Gerardo| last2 =  Ehrlich| first2 = Paul R.| last3 = Barnosky| first3= Anthony D. | last4 = García | first4 = Andrés| last5 =  Pringle | first5 = Robert M.| last6 =  Palmer| first6 =Todd M. |  year = 2015 | title = Accelerated modern human–induced species losses: Entering the sixth mass extinction |  journal = [[Science Advances]] | volume = 1 | issue = 5 | page = e1400253 |doi = 10.1126/sciadv.1400253| pmid = 26601195| pmc = 4640606| bibcode = 2015SciA....1E0253C}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|vauthors=Ripple WJ, Wolf C, Newsome TM, Galetti M, Alamgir M, Crist E, Mahmoud MI, Laurance WF|title=World Scientists' Warning to Humanity: A Second Notice|journal=[[BioScience]]|volume=67|issue=12|pages=1026–1028|date=13 November 2017|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix125|quote=Moreover, we have unleashed a mass extinction event, the sixth in roughly 540 million years, wherein many current life forms could be annihilated or at least committed to extinction by the end of this century.|doi-access=free|hdl=11336/71342|hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1= Cowie|first1=Robert H.|last2=Bouchet|first2=Philippe|last3=Fontaine|first3=Benoît|date=2022|title=The Sixth Mass Extinction: fact, fiction or speculation?|journal=Biological Reviews|volume=97|issue=2|pages=640–663|doi=10.1111/brv.12816|pmid=35014169|pmc=9786292 |s2cid=245889833|doi-access=free}}</ref> The 2019 ''[[Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services]]'', published by the [[United Nations]]' [[Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services]], says that roughly one million species of plants and animals face extinction within decades as the result of human actions.<ref>{{cite news |vauthors=Vidal J |date=March 15, 2019 |title=The Rapid Decline Of The Natural World Is A Crisis Even Bigger Than Climate Change |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nature-destruction-climate-change-world-biodiversity_n_5c49e78ce4b06ba6d3bb2d44 |work=[[The Huffington Post]] |access-date=November 8, 2021 |archive-date=October 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191003084130/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nature-destruction-climate-change-world-biodiversity_n_5c49e78ce4b06ba6d3bb2d44 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Stokstad">{{cite journal |last1=Stokstad |first1=Erik |title=Landmark analysis documents the alarming global decline of nature |journal=Science |date=6 May 2019 |doi=10.1126/science.aax9287 |s2cid=166478506}}</ref> Subsequent studies have discovered that the destruction of wildlife is "significantly more alarming" than previously believed, with some 48% of 70,000 monitored animal species experiencing population declines as the result of human industrialization.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=May 23, 2023 |title=Biodiversity: Almost half of animals in decline, research shows |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-65681648 |work=BBC |location= |access-date=July 12, 2023 |archive-date=July 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230717222234/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-65681648 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Finn|first1=Catherine|last2=Grattarola|first2=Florencia |last3=Pincheira-Donoso|first3=Daniel |date=2023 |title=More losers than winners: investigating Anthropocene defaunation through the diversity of population trends|url= |journal=Biological Reviews|volume= 98|issue= 5|pages= 1732–1748|doi=10.1111/brv.12974|pmid=37189305 |s2cid=258717720 |access-date=|doi-access=free}}</ref> According to a 2023 study published in ''[[PNAS]]'', "immediate political, economic, and social efforts of an unprecedented scale are essential if we are to prevent these extinctions and their societal impacts."<ref>{{cite news|last=Greenfield|first=Patrick|date=September 19, 2023|title='Mutilating the tree of life': Wildlife loss accelerating, scientists warn|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/19/mutilating-the-tree-of-life-wildlife-loss-accelerating-scientists-warn|work=The Guardian|location=|access-date=September 26, 2023|archive-date=September 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230925213112/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/19/mutilating-the-tree-of-life-wildlife-loss-accelerating-scientists-warn|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1= Ceballos|first1=Gerardo|last2=Ehrlich|first2=Paul R.|date=2023 |title=Mutilation of the tree of life via mass extinction of animal genera|url= |journal=[[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America]]|volume=120 |issue=39 |pages=e2306987120|doi=10.1073/pnas.2306987120|access-date=|doi-access=free|pmid=37722053 |pmc=10523489|bibcode=2023PNAS..12006987C }}</ref>

The four most general reasons that lead to destruction of wildlife include overkill, [[habitat destruction]] and [[habitat fragmentation|fragmentation]], impact of introduced species and chains of extinction.<ref>Diamond, J. M. (1989). Overview of recent extinctions. Conservation for the Twenty-first Century. D. Western and M. Pearl, New York, Oxford University Press: 37-41.</ref>

===Overkill===
Overkill happens whenever hunting occurs at rates greater than the reproductive capacity of the population is being exploited. The effects of this are often noticed much more dramatically in slow-growing populations such as many larger species of fish. Initially when a portion of a wild population is hunted, an increased availability of resources (food, etc.) is experienced increasing growth and reproduction as [[Density dependence|density dependent]] inhibition is lowered. Hunting, fishing and so on, have lowered the competition between members of a population. However, if this hunting continues at rate greater than the rate at which new members of the population can reach breeding age and produce more young, the population will begin to [[resource depletion|decrease in numbers]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.conservationandwildlife.com/critical-species/|title=Critical Species|publisher=Conservation and Wildlife|access-date=14 July 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120519025342/http://www.conservationandwildlife.com/critical-species/|archive-date=19 May 2012}}</ref>

Populations that are confined to islands, whether literal islands or just areas of habitat that are effectively an "island" for the species concerned, have also been observed to be at greater risk of dramatic population rise of deaths declines following [[Unsustainable fishing methods|unsustainable hunting]].

===Habitat destruction and fragmentation===
{{main|Habitat destruction|Habitat fragmentation}}

[[File:Amazonie deforestation.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Deforestation]] and increased road-building in the [[Amazon Rainforest]] are a significant concern because of increased human encroachment upon wild areas, increased resource extraction and further threats to [[biodiversity]].|alt=Amazon Rainforest deforestation]]
The habitat of any given species is considered its preferred area or [[Territory (animal)|territory]]. Many processes associated with human habitation of an area cause loss of this area and decrease the carrying capacity of the land for that species. In many cases these changes in land use cause a patchy break-up of the wild landscape. Agricultural land frequently displays this type of extremely fragmented, or relictual habitat. Farms sprawl across the landscape with patches of uncleared woodland or forest dotted in-between occasional paddocks.

Examples of habitat destruction include grazing of bushland by farmed animals, changes to natural fire regimes, forest clearing for timber production and wetland draining for city expansion. This is particularly challenging since wild animals cannot drink tap water, which means they cannot autonomously survive in those habitats where there is no [[surface water]] access.

===Impact of introduced species===
{{main|Introduced species}}

{{see also|Invasive species}} Mice, cats, rabbits, dandelions and [[poison ivy]] are all examples of species that have become invasive threats to wild species in various parts of the world. Frequently species that are uncommon in their home range become out-of-control invasions in distant but similar climates. The reasons for this have not always been clear and [[Charles Darwin]] felt it was unlikely that exotic species would ever be able to grow abundantly in a place in which they had not evolved. The reality is that the vast majority of species exposed to a new habitat do not reproduce successfully. Occasionally, however, some populations do take hold and after a period of acclimation can increase in numbers significantly, having destructive effects on many elements of the native environment of which they have become part.

===Chains of extinction===
This final group is one of secondary effects. All wild populations of living things have many complex intertwining links with other living things around them. Large [[herbivorous]] animals such as the hippopotamus have populations of [[insectivorous]] birds that feed off the many parasitic insects that grow on the hippo. Should the hippo die out, so too will these groups of birds, leading to further destruction as other species dependent on the birds are affected. Also referred to as a [[domino effect]], this series of [[chain reaction]]s is by far the most destructive process that can occur in any [[Biocoenosis|ecological community]].

Another example is the [[black drongo]]s and the [[cattle egret]]s found in India. These birds feed on insects on the back of cattle, which helps to keep them disease-free. Destroying the nesting habitats of these birds would cause a decrease in the cattle population because of the spread of insect-borne diseases.

==See also==
{{Portal bar|Animals|Environment|Ecology|Earth sciences|Biology}}
* [[Do not feed the animals]]
* [[Endangered species]]
* [[Ex situ conservation]]
* [[In situ conservation]]
* [[Wildlife conservation]]
* [[Wildlife corridor]]
* [[Wildness]]
* [[World Wildlife Day]]
* [[Urban wildlife]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{cite web |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/2226898-young-people-cant-remember-how-much-more-wildlife-there-used-to-be|title=Young people can't remember how much more wildlife there used to be|last=Vaughan|first=Adam|date=December 11, 2019 |website=[[New Scientist]]}}
* [https://wikianimals.eu/species/wild Wild Species]

{{Natural resources}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Wildlife| ]]
[[Category:Animals|:]]