CHAPTER III 

 THE EXTERMINATION OF WILD LIFE 



One of the saddest features of the history of the wild 

 !life during recent times has been the disappearance, that 

 is, the extermination of a number of animals that were 

 formerly abundant. And this has taken place during a 

 period in our history when our attitude towards such mat- 

 ters has been gradually changing for the better. 



The pity of it all lies in the fact that once an animal be- 

 comes exterminated it cannot be replaced ; it has gone for- 

 ever. Many of our resources may be lost for a time, but 

 they can be regained. Forests may be cut down or burnt, 

 but reafforestation is possible; towns may be destroyed by 

 fire, but better ones can rise from the ashes. It is not so 

 with our mammals and birds. Creatures that have existed 

 long before the advent of man disappear as a result of his 

 recklessness, and we are the poorer for their loss. 



Nowhere is our fauna so rich where man has established 

 himself to any great extent that we can afford to permit the 

 complete disappearance of animals. Even the total destruc- 

 tion of our worst predatory animals would be an unfortunate 

 loss. In order, therefore, to understand thoroughly the 

 principles that are involved in the conservation of our wild 

 life, we must appreciate the causes responsible for its dis- 

 appearance, and reahze the extent to which species have 

 become extinct and are becoming exterminated. 



Main Causes of Extermination. — Broadly speaking, the 

 causes of extermination may be divided into two classes: 

 unavoidable and avoidable. To a very large extent the 

 extermination, at least the reduction to a point bordering 



17 



