I have been watching National Geographic channel lately n I saw this very interesting half an hour long show which I would like to share with all of you.
In Mexico, there is a small island called Cozumel. It is an Island where tourists crowd to enjoy the bright sun n the cool sea. The island is 48kms long from north to south and 16kms wide. This island has number of endemic species of birds and animals. Animals like raccoons and coatis used to be found in large numbers on this island.
But, since the last 30 years, a number of these animals are vanishing. Consequently, the number of boas in these areas are increasing to a large extent. These boas are making a meal out of these native birds and animals. There are about 3000 boas in Cozumel now. This is a very strange thing. Because, boas never inhabited Cozumel 30 years ago. The question is, where did they come from?Many biologists tried to find an answer to this question. Some theories suggested that the boas swam across the sea from the mainland to the island. But, that is a very rare possibility. Another theory would be, a female boa which was about to give birth might hav come to the island on a log. However, the trade winds in the region blow from Cozumel towards the mainland Mexico. Trade winds never change their direction of flow. So, even this possibility can be discarded.
However, some natives hinted towards a movie that was shot on the island in 1971. Many animals were used for the movie. On further investigation, it was found that 6 boas were used for the movie and after the movie was shot, the man who was incharge of the animals released the snakes on the island itself. A female boa can give birth to around 40 offsprings in a year. This means that a simple mistake made by the man incharge of the animals has affected Cozumel's entire bio-diversity. Why I am telling all this to you is for a simple reason.Man and nature have to learn to co-exist. Nature will flourish without man. But, man cannot exist without nature. Man is on the apex of the pyramid(and George W. Bush is at its tip) and if the tip breaks off, the rest of the pyramid will stand but if the base of the pyramid is destroyed, nor will its tip stand erect. We have to learn from the above disaster in Cozumel, that we should not do anything that may affect the biodiversity of a place. So, the next time you pick up anything that belongs to the nature, please return it back to the place where you found it or the place it belongs to. Misplace could be hazardous not only to the animal but also to you.
