Importing Species

1. Importing Species How does Importing Species harm mankind? Sanah Naseer 9th Grade May 1, 2012

2. Defining Importing Species Importing species is defined as bringing in animals from a foreign country. These animals are usually used for services, sales or re-exporting.

3. Importing Species is a industrious way to save endangered animals. The animals that are imported from foreign countries are kept in safe environments. This allows people to visit and observe rare and endangered species.

4. Brief History about Imported Species Imported species are introduced through many means. Intentional introductions have often been for agricultural or enhancing purposes. Once introduced, some of these species escape their enclosures or fostering and can become established as possible populations.

5. Harm caused by Imported species Nearly one in seven non-native animal species that are legally imported into the United States cause a potential risk to native wildlife, human health or domestic animals, and some species could cause multiple risks.

6. A number of legally imported animals are already disaster on U.S. ecosystems, andefforts to control these species costs the United States tens of millions of dollars every year, in addition to the ecological and economic harm they do.

7. The Gambian giant rat, imported from Africa to the United States in 2003, carried the highly contagious monkey pox virus. Imported pet birds have brought in Exotic Newcastle’s disease, which could have a disturbing impact on the poultry industry.  

8. Since imported species are in a new environment, free from natural predators, parasites, or competitors, they often develop large population sizes very rapidly. These high populations can out-compete, displace or kill native species or can reduce wildlife food and habitat.

9. Imported species also have the potential to disturb ecosystem functions, such as water flow, nutrient cycling, or soil decomposition. Other imported species cause massive amounts of economic damage to the agricultural business by destroying crops and contaminating produce. Some imported species can cause direct harm to humans or domestic animals.

11. Importing species is a productive yet risky procedure. Just like everything else, this has its pros and cons. It has benefited humans in many ways, discoveries have been made and even some cures have been found. Those cures are for diseases that these animals have brought. So one way or another, we are gaining from this.