Animal-loving Brits are actually dumbos when it comes
to wildlife and think that extinct creatures like the woolly
mammoth and the dodo still exist, according to a
study.
Despite decades of programmes by David Attenborough,
fewer a than half of Brits know that bees are endangered but
think polar bears, which are plentiful, are in
trouble.
Also suggested as being endangered were Koala bears,
Grey Wolf and Bison. While 43% correctly identified Sea Turtles
as endangered, a surprising, 14% (over 1 in 10) believed the
already extinct Whoolly Mammoth to be at risk and another 12%
thought that of the Dodo!
Research comes after 70% of people thought that
Coronavirus has acted as a rest button for our
planet.
Over half of us (55%) have noticed that nature has
had a chance to strengthen since the outbreak, 53% have seen
their streets cleaner as a result of less people and 42% have
read stories of nature re-growth in the media. Despite this, only
43% say they will treat their local area better when this is all
over and a disappointing half of us (45%) won’t be picking up
litter even if they see it.
Founder Richard Prinsloo Curson says “We
understand that times are hard at the moment for everyone,
especially charities and conservation projects are no different.
But everyone can do their bit to protect the environment and the
animals we share this planet with. Recycling is one of the
easiest and most important ways of protecting our wildlife.
Plastic is a huge problem for wildlife, not just in the oceans
but also in the rain forests, artic wilderness and our African
planes.”
Among the animals Brits would save from extinction
first are elephants (40%), dogs (26%) and rhinos (only 12%). The
latter, however, is a priority in Noah’s Ark’s native South
Africa, where poaching has become a huge issue during
lockdown.
Poachers have been taking advantage of the
coronavirus pandemic to kill more animals, whether it’s rhinos in
Africa, giant ibises in Asia, or wild cats in South America.
Lockdown measures and falling tourism gives them free rein to
roam and hunt for endangered species.
Peta Janice Smith who works as a ranger for the
Noah’s Ark Project commented
“I’m really concerned that as this lockdown goes on
and especially in South Africa where we are based, the lack of
food available will see people turning to illegal hunting. In the
last week alone, we have seen nine Rhino’s killed in South
Africa. In Colombia, poachers have been killing more jaguars,
pumas, and ocelots. In Cambodia, three giant ibises—so 1% to 2%
of the global population—drank poison reportedly set up by
poachers, who have become more active in Southeast Asia. In
India, people are illegally hunting for various kinds of
deer.”
Noah’s Ark project has been set up to counter the
threat of extinction to many of our greatest animals. The project
will be made up of 13 geo-domes. Three of them – Amazonian, Polar
and Desert – will be the biggest structures of their kind in the
world, each with a diameter of 230 metres and height of 30
stories… almost the height of Canary Wharf.
They will be built using smart glass and
sophisticated climate control systems to ensure animals from
other continents can feel at home in their own ecosystems under
the South African sun.
The domes alone will cost £3billion to build, with
the total cost of the Ark complex expected to hit £10billion. The
project is part privately funded and also funded by donations
at //www.noahsark.life/donate
