Human beings are not the only creatures on the globe to ceremonially honour their dead. There have been many anecdotal reports suggesting that other animals carry out their own traditions when one of their own passes away.
This includes primates, elephants, rhinos, lions, birds, and other species which we consider intelligent. A new study found that one bird species, the Scrub Jay, has a very unique behaviour. They will summon their group together to screech over the body of a dead jay. This loud, boisterous “funeral ceremony” in which they cry over their fallen one can last for up to 30 minutes.
The research conducted by University of California (UC) Davis graduate student, Teresa Iglesias showed that the Western Scrub Jays host screeching “funerals” for up to a half-hour. Iglesias recorded the Jays’ reactions when she placed a dead Jay on the ground near the feeding tables.
When she placed the dead bird, the other birds began a series of loud, screeching calls to attract other Scrub Jays. The scrum of birds was then found to screech for up to 30 minutes.
That’s unique funeral behavior of the scrub jay, isn’t it?
This disclosure came as the world’s largest conservation forum IUCN World Conservation Congress (WCC) curtain closed in South Korea at the weekend with warnings that reckless development was ruining the planet's natural health, pushing thousands of species towards extinction.
Closer to home, daggers were recently drawn between Zanu PF ministers Francis Nhema (Environment) and Walter Mzembi (Tourism) over the “parcelling out” of plots in the world’s renowned Save Valley Conservancy (SVC).
Instead of dealing with the problem, the matter has turned very political, at a time the State of the natural world had been “severely compromised”, with unrestrained development, reducing biodiversity and nearly 20 000 species facing extinction.
Separated from nature, we cannot imagine ways to resolve climate change, poverty or shortages of water, food and energy resources.
Hence, the Zanu PF politburo task team set up to deal with the SVC takeover bid should come up with a workable way-out acceptable to all and sundry to ensure the survival of endangered species in the conservancy given reports of mass slaughter of wildlife.
If tiny little birds have feelings, what about endangered rhinos, elephants and many more facing danger in the unprotected conservancy and elsewhere, as a result of political considerations and infighting.
There is indeed a need for a holistic socio-economic approach to conservation efforts in Zimbabwe.
What is more is that the quadrennial IUCN conference took place against a drumbeat of scientific warnings that a mass extinction looms, as species struggle to survive in a world of depleted habitat, hunting and climate change.
At Rio+20 world summit in June, it was disclosed that out of 63 837 species the IUCN had assessed, 19 817 ran the risk of extinction.
At threat are 25% of mammals –elephants, rhinos, lions, and cheetah among others, 41% of amphibian species, 20% of plants and 13% of birds, according to the prestigious “Red List”.
Many of these species are essential for humans, providing food and work and a gene pool for better crops and new medicines.
Zimbabwe and other countries had pledged under the Millennium Development Goals to break the rate of loss in species by 2010, but fell badly short of the mark. After this failure, it is expected that the country should set a “strategic plan for biodiversity” under which the country should vow to prevent the extinction of “most known species”.
The country should actually designate huge swathes of land as nature reserves or we will have little chance of establishing enough protected areas for wildlife and fish to stave off a disastrous loss of species.
Given that the environment and tourism industries are intertwined, progress should be made in setting up and/or governing more protected areas in the form of conservancies to benefit the majority.
Indian nationalist Mahatma Gandhi once said the “earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed”. There is no doubt that Zimbabwe has abundant wildlife, but politicians should desist from exploiting valuable species and habitats for personal gain than to strive to protect them, even if paying lip service to environmental goals.
The future for conservation lies in co-operating with the business world and politicians should get out of their comfort zones.
The need for action is overcoming global political sclerosis. Companies working anywhere in Africa are increasingly investing in biodiversity expertise, in community development, environmental restoration and long-term conservation capacity building.
millenniumzimbabwe@yahoo.com/twitter.com/wisdomdzungairi
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