Wildlife threatened by mosquitoes
This might sound ridiculous – how can the tiny mosquitoes threaten wildlife? But – that is happening in the Galapagos Islands. The Southern house mosquitoes identified as the Culex Quinquefasciatus come by tourist planes and boats and bring with them the West Nile fever and the avian malaria – these are playing havoc on the local wildlife. The Galapagos giant tortoise and the marine iguana are among the threatened species apart from endemic birds including the waved albatross, the red-footed booby and flightless cormorant. In view of increase in tourism in the area, regular flights bring hordes of the tourists as well as supporting services. In 2007, the number of flights was more than 2000 and hundreds of arrivals by ship. The mosquitoes enter via these routes and need to be controlled by regular fumigation.
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- Submitted By: prabirghose | 3 months agoUnique species on the Galápagos Islands are under threat from mosquitoes introduced by tourist planes and boats, according to research published today. The southern house mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus , capable of carrying West Nile fever ...
- News Source: Androscoggin News | 3 months agoAs a child, Juan Elaje experienced the tail end of an era of innocence in the Galapagos Islands. It was the late 1980s, and tourism at the time was still largely a fisherman's game. Travellers who made the journey by air or boat from mainland Ecuador...
- News Source: Guardian Unlimited | 3 months agoUnique species of Galápagos Islands threatened by mosquitoes • Giant tortoise and marine iguana may be at risk • Excess of tourists raises fear of 'ecological disaster' Unique species on the Galápagos Islands are under threat from mosquitoes...
- Blog Source: www.nebloger.comExperts fear the spread of the southern house mosquito, or Culex quinquefasciatus, could have the same devastating effect in the Galapagos as in Hawaii during the late 19th century, when disease wiped out many indigenous birds. ...
- Blog Source: www.sciencecodex.comThe southern house mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus, was previously thought to have been introduced to the Galapagos in a one-off event in the mid-1980s. However, scientists from the University of Leeds, the Zoological Society of London ...
- Blog Source: wisgon.comThe southern house mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus, was previously thought to have been introduced to the Galapagos in a one-off event in the mid-1980s. Here is the original post: The tourist trap.
- Blog Source: journalwatch.conservationmagazine.orgSo far, Galápagos has remained relatively untouched. But the mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus, which can transmit diseases such as West Nile fever, managed to settle on the islands in the 1980s and has been worrying conservationists ever ...
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Image Source: caribbean.scielo.org
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