Wildlife upkeep hinges on human behaviour

By JACKLYN SIRIAS

PEOPLE’s behaviour is a big factor in the preservation of wildlife in Papua New Guinea, an official from the Nature Park in Port Moresby says.
General manager Michelle McGeorge told The National on Saturday during World Wildlife Day celebrations that people needed to understand how wildlife in the country was different to anywhere else in the world.
“So many different animal species in the country, one being the Bird of Paradise – you cannot find it anywhere else in the world,” she said.
“Papua New Guineans really need to embrace and protect their natural habitats of wildlife and environment or else their future generations will not have the chance to know about them.”
McGeorge said burning of bushes unnecessarily, and catching wild animals and selling them on the streets were a couple of the negative attitudes that affected the rate of animal species becoming endangered.
She said native animals needed a lot of special care, unlike cats and dogs that had evolved over thousands of years to be domesticated.