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SQUIRREL MONKEY'S HOME UNDER SIEGE! BY ADAM The Amazon Rainforest is being destroyed and animals like the Squirrel Monkey are losing their homes.
http://www.hilozoo.com/monkeys.htm
http://www.ascendingenterprises.com/amazonherb.htm The Squirrel Monkey, is one of the millions of animals in the ever shrinking Amazon Rainforest. They are the smallest primate in the Cebidae Family. They weigh one to three pounds, and measure 23 to 38 inches long. They are the most common primate in the Guianas and the Amazon River basin. Today, scientists and many environmental groups are working to save the Squirrel Monkeys. Squirrel Monkeys have a few enemies, including porcupines, baboons and especially eagles, who love to swoop in and grab an unsuspecting monkey. Squirrel Monkeys love their
habitat, and thrive in the rainforest. The monkeys spend most of their
time in the canopy, at the top of the forest. To be a rainforest, a forest
must have a closed canopy. The Amazon Rainforest does have a closed
canopy, so the monkeys love it. They like wet, dark and dense forests,
and so the Amazon is perfect. The only problem is the Amazon Rainforest
is being destroyed at astronomical speeds. Thousands of trees are cut
down every day for lumber and agricultural purposes. The number of monkeys
are believed to have dropped greatly in the last 50 years, largely due
to deforestation. Growth of human populations results in the need for
more land for food production. Lumber is also needed to build houses.
It scares scientists that Squirrel Monkeys choose to live in a very
small geographical range. They have such a small area in the rainforest
that if that part is destroyed, they may become extinct. Some species
of Squirrel monkeys have a 20% chance of extinction within the next
twenty years. Many of the monkeys are also used for medical research
or kept as pets. In the years 1968 to 1972, 17 300 monkeys were shipped
to the U.S.A. Also, locals eat the cute little monkeys. With all these
things against them, their numbers have dropped greatly, and with their
major habitat, the Amazon Rainforest, shrinking, this trend will only
continue.
In 1994, the Amazon covered
67% of the land area of Brazil. In 2000, it dropped to 58%. Currently,
it is still rated at 58%, but studies show it is still dropping quickly.
The government and the people of Brazil love the rainforest, as it is
part of their culture, but they need the lumber and the space for a
growing population. Thousands of acres are destroyed everyday because
of agriculture. Brazil has a lot of cattle and rely on the profits from
beef to support themselves. As a result of this, many species, including
the Squirrel Monkey, have been put at risk. The rainforest is the lungs
of the earth and without it we will die. It gives us more than half
of our oxygen. It acts as a big cleaning plant taking CO2 from our cars
and from animals and turning it into oxygen, thus cleaning our air.
The rainforest also supplies us with the raw materials that are used
in the production of over 120 drugs, including those that fight cancer,
that are used all over the world. Not only are animal, plant, and insect
species at risk, but also the oxygen we need as well. If you want to do something
to help the Squirrel Monkey, and save the rainforest, go online and
type in http://www.ran.org and you
will learn about the Rainforest Action Network and what it does. Also,
in your own home, there are some things you can do to help. You can
reduce your paper and wood consumption, reduce your oil consumption,
hold businesses accountable for using rainforest products, and support
the Rainforest Action Network. This website tells you more about how
you can save the rain forest, (there is also a list for kids!) The rainforest and its unique species, like the Squirrel Monkey, are priceless gifts we should treasure. The rainforest supplies us with so many important things, that without them our earth would not be able to support life. It supplies life to up to 90% of the species of plants and animals on the earth, including Squirrel Monkey. The Rainforest is the most valuable resource on the planet and we depend on it. Without it the Squirrel Monkey will become extinct. Allow the rainforest with its diverse plant and animal species to be destroyed, and we allow ourselves to be destroyed! For more information, you can contact Monkey Town at: Monkey Town, Bonnie Doon,
Mondeor Road, PO Box 152, Somerset West, 7129, Western Cape, South Africa WEB SITE: www.monkeys.co.za |
