Species Extinction: DDT is Not The Only Culprit
The banning of a dangerous pesticide came in time but man would not allow a little bird to survive.
image via wikipedia
Pictured above is a marshy wetland area near Merritt Island created by the St. John’s River which meanders slowly from south to north through the state of Florida. It was the former home of the Dusky Seaside Sparrow, a non-migratory songbird that was found ony in this part of the country and a part of it now is a National Wildlife Reserve.
image via wikipedia
It was back before World War II when the pesticide popularly known as DDT was introduced to control the mosquito population around the area that is now the site of the Kennedy Space Center. That chemical entered the food chain and reduced the population of the sparrows by 70 percent. However, that still left 600 breeding pairs–sufficient for the species to rebound over time but man was not finished with his never ending battle against the pesky mosquito.
Merritt Island was flooded in an attempt to destroy the insects’ breeding areas. The effect was to devastate the sparrows’ nesting grounds and their numbers severly declined. To make matters worse marshes around the river were drained in order to accommodate construction of I-95 and by 1979 only six of the dusky seaside sparrows remained on earth–all males.
Sadly, the last remaining bird of the species died in 1987 and the dusky seaside sparrow was officially declared to be extinct in 1990. Mosquitos continue to thrive in the area around the Kennedy Space Center.
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31 Responses to “Species Extinction: DDT is Not The Only Culprit”
On September 7, 2009 at 7:38 am
Great well researched article!
On September 7, 2009 at 8:07 am
Wonderful article on an important subject. Loved reading it. I have heard of the book (not read it)- silent spring by Rachel Carson who talks of the use of DDT that silenced the spring. In my own country too, the sparrow has disappeared. I guess similar reasons were true here too. While travelling in Toronto, my son-in-law said a lot of birds are routinely killed by the high rise buildings and by the confusing signals of various gadgets (mobile phones, mobile receiving towers, etc).
On September 7, 2009 at 9:14 am
Such lovely bird. Ironical that mosquitos did’t get killed. Have they grown immune?
On September 7, 2009 at 11:54 am
Man kills a lot in the path of his doing. Good attention here TX
On September 7, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Very well done. Interesting!
On September 7, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Well written, well researched article. It’s so sad we lost a beautiful bird and still have the insects. No fair in the least.
On September 7, 2009 at 2:26 pm
As time moves on they are finding a lot of the miracle cures are doing more harm than good.
And things will get worse before they get better.
On September 7, 2009 at 3:11 pm
a well written and researched article. You’ve obviously put solid effort into producing this.
Way to go
On September 7, 2009 at 3:26 pm
so sad that humans viewed a tiny bite by a small bug as more important than the lives of an entire species.
On September 7, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Usula Lé Guin said it all in her novella, “The word for world is Forest”.
On September 7, 2009 at 4:50 pm
What an absolute shame!Beautiful bird wiped out by man’s obession to create a better world…Half the time we don’t even know what we are losing! Wonderful thought provoking,beautifully written and docmented article Ken!! Brillaint work as always!!
On September 7, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Such a damn shame!! A quick fix that nature soon overcame…with casualties!
On September 7, 2009 at 5:16 pm
how sad, its a lovely bird.
On September 7, 2009 at 8:04 pm
This is the first article I have read by you. And I am impressed. Nicley done, and it is a very sad thing
-littlekid137
On September 7, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Very sad but a great job as always Ken
On September 7, 2009 at 9:38 pm
Ken, that is so sad, Our birds gone forever while the mosquito thrives. I think we should leave mother nature alone.
On September 7, 2009 at 9:45 pm
Very good article.
On September 7, 2009 at 9:48 pm
What a shame! It’s sad to hear about but when one specie is killed off, it leaves room for another unique one to grow
That is how I look at it. Great article tho
On September 8, 2009 at 1:41 am
It is such a shame to lose bird species for no really good reason. A very well written and thoughtful article.
Christine
On September 8, 2009 at 11:05 am
Such a shame! Mankind often time does more harm than good…with very tragic consequences.
On September 8, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Very good article. So sad that we can destroy, but once it is gone, is gone.
On September 8, 2009 at 1:37 pm
we have a lot to answer for I am afraid to say. Great write x
On September 8, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Oh my goodness. That is so sad. This was a great article.
On September 8, 2009 at 7:34 pm
another I like.
On September 8, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Brainlessness kills.
On September 8, 2009 at 10:44 pm
very interesting, and the sad part is was done for nothing, for those pesty bugs survived, but beautiful birds such as the sparrow is now extinct.
Upsetting but true;
Great article
On September 9, 2009 at 12:48 am
beautiful birds! so sad it must extinct!
On September 9, 2009 at 10:22 am
What next? This is so sad because I love nature. Although mosquitoes are not top priority our wildlife is. Great work!
On September 10, 2009 at 10:45 am
Our environment is in danger and we are at a point of no return. Every year we find reports on many species being extinct. There should be greater awareness among common people about the drastic effect of using pesticides and other environment harmful chemicals.
On September 11, 2009 at 4:29 am
Sad.We are responsible.
On September 15, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Man is going to get it back from nature one day. Its waiting to hit us back where it hurts the most.
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