A study by Scientists from Bard College and the
University of California, Davis, has come up with the finding that the loss of
large mammals has cryptic consequences for African savannas and the people and
animals that depend on them.
The scientists experimentally removed large grazing
mammals from plots of savanna land in Kenya. The results were very disturbing. Populations
of a small mammal, the pouched mouse, doubled. The mice attracted venomous
snakes like the olive hissing snake. It also caused extensive damage to tree
seedlings. The flea and tick populations
exponentially increased which in turn potentially increased the risk of
transmission of flea- and tick-borne pathogens.
Details of the study appears in the latest issue of
journal Bioscience
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