Sustainable Choices to Protect White's Seahorse and the Red Panda
White's Seahorse
The species picked is a seahorse known as Whites Seahorse, New Holland Seahorse, or the Sydney Seahorse. This certain animal is native to the southeast part of Australia in the Pacific Ocean and are a non-migratory animal. Many of these animals are found in shallow parts of the water where light can reach such as estuaries, seagrass, and harbors at about 40 feet down and tend to be very camouflaged in colors ranging from grey, brown, and black (Mcgrouther). They tend to keep their habitats in elaborate corals and structures that can produce a good food source, this includes amphipods and small crustaceans. The predators to the seahorse are an abundance of marine animals since these animals are primary consumers. As for mating for these animals, they mate between October and April. These creatures keep one mate for their entire life. These animals have been vulnerable and declining since 1996 and continue to decline as pollution and overfishing continues.
These seahorses have a few major threats due to anthropogenic impacts, including destructive boat anchoring (IUCN). Many places that were thought to be a safe space for many species have been going through problems with pollution and fishing. Fishermen were cleaning nets and clearing food from them which had a huge impact on the population of the seahorses. Humans are also anchoring their boats in places that destroy habitats and overall hurt the ecosystem and making it unlivable.
Whites Seahorse in its Natural Habitat
Anchors are a major threat to Whites Seahorses (Wikipedia)
The Red Panda
A species so very different from a seahorse is a red panda. Red pandas have been declining by 50% over the past three decades and have been put on the endangered list for the sheer amount that they have lost. As these pandas have lost forests that provide them food they have been dying off. Red pandas are native to China, India, Bhutan, Nepal, and Myanmar. They tend to live in bamboo thick forests because that is 98% of what they eat(IUCN). Red pandas are large vegetarians and need a lot of vegetation to stay alive. People are tearing down forests to build houses and they are taking over these animal’s environment. A major threat to these animals is poaching. Many times, they are hunted for meat, their fur, or to keep as pets. The threats of the red panda and Whites seahorse are on different ends of the spectrum. Many times, fishermen don’t know that there are even these small seahorses all around. As for red pandas, they are hunted specifically for what they are and that is the major difference in these threats. These animals are very special to me. I love the ocean and have always thought that seahorses were amazing creatures and it is so sad that they are endangered. Red pandas are my family’s favorite animal and they’re adorable, so it was no hard choice to pick the red panda. These animals are so special and different to their biomes. We may not have these animals in our biomes but that doesn’t mean they aren’t endangered and I believe that sometimes it’s hard for people to understand that fact. It was interesting reading about not only their threats but their biomes and where they live. These creatures are so mysterious to many especially Whites seahorse. Many don’t even know what a Whites seahorse is.
What Keene Can Do
Keene, New Hampshire does not have oceans that these creatures can live in but, we do have fishing that can harm lake habitats. The boats anchoring may not be the entire problem here but boats in general have been hurting ecosystems for a long time. Many animals can get stuck in nets that fishermen use to have a quicker and more efficient fishing trip. With fishing trips, people in Keene and all over New Hampshire eat fish. Many times we eat fish that are unsustainably caught but there is a website called Seafood Watch that will let you know what fish is safe to eat and is better for the environment. Another large problem that has been reoccurring not only in Keene but in a lot of lakes all around New Hampshire, has been invasive species. There have now been regulations for boats to be checked because of how much damage these species were creating. Poaching in Keene is not a huge issue. It is more of eastern continent problem but that doesn’t mean people in Keene can help educate people about poaching. Students and residents could raise money for foundations that help stop poaching and continue to provide people with information about endangered species and what we can do to protect them. Poaching may not be a threat to our own creatures, but they are to so many more in our world. If we want to slow down this major extinction that we believe is happening, then the world needs to be more educated about how many endangered species there are.
World Wildlife Foundation "together possible" video
(Youtube)
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