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INTRODUCED SPECIES
In 1890, one man released 60 birds in New York Central park. 135 years later, there are 200 million of them across AmericaHow 60 birds became 200 million starlings: European starlings, numbering 200 million, trace their lineage to a 1890 Manhattan release. Euge...
Australia built an A$187,000 electric fence across wild horse country; inside lies an endangered alpine wetland supporting three threatened animalsAn electric fence protects a rare alpine wetland in Australia's Kosciuszko National Park. This small area is home to three threatened nativ...
Between the 1930s and 1980s, Finland drained 4.7 million hectares of peatland to accelerate forest growth; the exposed peat soils are now a growing source of carbon dioxideFinland drained vast peatlands for forestry after World War II. These drained soils now release significant amounts of carbon dioxide annua...
In 1861, an English lord sent three red deer to New Zealand for sport; the animals multiplied until government hunters were killing 50,000 a yearThree deer introduced in 1861 multiplied into a national crisis. New Zealand's government hired men to kill 50,000 deer annually. These cul...
In 2001, a USDA scientist released beetles to destroy an invasive tree, but they eliminated 94% of an endangered bird's habitat along one riverAn invasive beetle introduced to control tamarisk trees has devastated flycatcher nesting grounds. This beetle, released by the USDA, succe...
In the 1770s, Captain Cook released pigs and goats in New Zealand to feed future sailors; their feral descendants began destroying native bushCaptain Cook introduced pigs and goats to New Zealand's Ship Cove in 1770 for future sailors. These animals became significant threats to n...
In 1890, Eugene Schieffelin released European starlings in Central Park; within 69 years, their descendants had reached the PacificEugene Schieffelin released European starlings in Central Park in 1890. These birds spread across the continent within sixty-nine years. St...
In 1778, Captain James Cook’s crew released goats in Hawaii as a future food source; their descendants damaged native plants and worsened erosionCaptain Cook introduced goats to Hawaii in 1778, which then proliferated rapidly. These animals severely damaged native plants and altered ...
In 1904, Newfoundland released just four moose to boost hunting opportunities. Years later, their population had soared to nearly 200,000, transforming island's forests & becoming one of North America's largest moose populationsMore than a century after just four moose were introduced to Newfoundland, the animals multiplied into one of North America's largest moose...
Charles Darwin Quote of the Day: “A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.”Charles Darwin's quote highlights time's irreplaceable value for life. He believed wasting even one hour showed a lack of life appreciation...
In 1872, a Jamaican planter imported nine mongooses to kill rats in his sugarcane fields; the predators then turned on native birds and reptilesJamaican planters introduced mongooses to combat rat infestations destroying sugarcane harvests. These predators, however, did not stop at ...
From a 1937 garden planting to an ecological crisis: One Miconia tree now spreads 8.9 million seeds, endangering Queensland's iconic rainforestsToday, a single mature Miconia tree can produce over 8.9 million seeds in one season. What began as a 1937 garden introduction in tahiti ha...
Britain dropped more than 300 tons of poison across South Georgia to kill every rat; by 2018, over 100,000 hectares were rodent-freeSouth Georgia island successfully removed its rat population after a massive eradication effort. Helicopters dropped poisoned bait across t...
A couple gave up on a failing Sussex farm, pulled out the fences and let 3,500 acres go feral; it became the template for British rewildingA British farm, once burdened by debt, became a successful rewilding project. Free-roaming herbivores were introduced to restore the land's...
Brazilian scientist who defied a dictatorship bought 63 African queen bees in 1956; a year later, 26 escaped and became one of America's most notorious invasive insectsTwenty-six African queen honey bees escaped a Brazilian apiary in 1957, beginning a continental spread. These bees, known as Africanized ho...
In 1962, a former newspaper editor bought a barren Seychelles island for $11,000; over the next 46 years, he planted 16,000 trees by hand and turned it into the world's smallest national parkBrendon Grimshaw bought Moyenne Island in 1962 and spent decades transforming it. He and René Antoine Lafortune planted sixteen thousand tr...
In 2010, Australian scientists fed native predators toad sausages spiked with a nausea drug so they would learn to avoid deadly cane toads: a trick now used to train quolls before toads arriveBaby quolls learned to avoid toxic cane toads after experiencing nausea from a special snack. This conservation method helps protect the en...
How beavers helped a struggling England farm secure a £1 million deal and spark a multimillion-pound revivalA Lincolnshire rewilding project aims to prove nature restoration's profitability. Beavers will be reintroduced to a 1,525-acre farm, trans...
Quote of the Day by Charles Darwin: "Nature never reveals her deepest secrets to those who merely look. It rewards those who...." - Powerful life lessons on seeing what others miss, embracing uncertainty, patient observation, and unlocking nature's deepest secrets from history's greatest naturalistQuote of the Day by Charles Darwin: "Nature never reveals her deepest secrets to those who merely look. It rewards those who patiently obse...
Not Shark or Seal: Penguin's biggest predator on this island is a 20-gram animal and South Africa is now planning a 550-tonne poison solutionSouth Africa is preparing a large-scale operation to eliminate mice on Marion Island. Helicopters will drop 550 tons of poison bait across ...