In January of 2019 I was privileged to spend 15 days in Cuba with 20 other artists. This was not my first visit to a Latin American country but Cuba comes with all kinds of special factors. The island itself is about the size of Pennsylvania and is home to a large number of endemic species. According to many researchers, the Caribbean has seen the greatest number of mammals that are either listed as threatened or extinct- more than any other area in the world .(Borroto-Páez, Rafael. (2009). Invasive mammals in Cuba: An overview. Biological Invasions.)
After returning home, I started to look into the 18 mammals that are listed as endangered: bats, hutia, one manatee, the solenodon, the agouti. (http://earthsendangered.com/search-regions3.asp) The solenodon, or almiquí, as it is called locally, is the most unique- an ancient rodent much like a shrew, with a long jointed nose and venomous bite. The hutia, solenodon and bats have all been impacted by invasive species; cats, dogs and the mongoose. The mongoose was imported in the late 1800's to cut down the rat population that was affecting the sugar cane industry, but its appetite was not exclusive and it continues to hunt and eat whatever it can catch.
As we traveled around the country there was a striking absence of small mammals and birds. In New England, where I live, we have squirrels, chipmunks, myriad small birds, hawks, owls, water birds, and at night- raccoons, skunks, opossum, foxes and coyotes. There was no evidence of that in Cuba. The most plentiful wild bird was the turkey vulture, or zamuro.
We saw huge tree bound ant nests. Dogs, mostly short in stature, good natured and not spayed or neutered were everywhere. Cats were almost as plentiful, but the cats were less sociable. Various articles I have read blame cats, feral and domesticated, for the low population of the solenodon because of their ability to climb and follow the solenodon up trees and into burrows. Being nocturnal- like the solenodon themselves, makes them the perfect predator for the slow and clumsy rodent. Hutia have been raised for meat, and hunted. Feral or unsupervised dogs will also go after them. All 8 varieties of hutia endemic to Cuba are listed as endangered. Of the 26 varieties of bats endemic to Cuba, 6 are endangered.
Explaining why anyone should care about a few peculiar endangered animals on a small ( politically charged) island 90 miles off the coast of Florida has been difficult. The United States is a vast country with varied terrain and diverse environmental challenges in many locations. In fact, I believe it is the ability to grasp the situation more readily that makes Cuba an ideal microcosm for examining how humans can favorably or negatively impact an ecosystem.
After returning home, I started to look into the 18 mammals that are listed as endangered: bats, hutia, one manatee, the solenodon, the agouti. (http://earthsendangered.com/search-regions3.asp) The solenodon, or almiquí, as it is called locally, is the most unique- an ancient rodent much like a shrew, with a long jointed nose and venomous bite. The hutia, solenodon and bats have all been impacted by invasive species; cats, dogs and the mongoose. The mongoose was imported in the late 1800's to cut down the rat population that was affecting the sugar cane industry, but its appetite was not exclusive and it continues to hunt and eat whatever it can catch.
As we traveled around the country there was a striking absence of small mammals and birds. In New England, where I live, we have squirrels, chipmunks, myriad small birds, hawks, owls, water birds, and at night- raccoons, skunks, opossum, foxes and coyotes. There was no evidence of that in Cuba. The most plentiful wild bird was the turkey vulture, or zamuro.
We saw huge tree bound ant nests. Dogs, mostly short in stature, good natured and not spayed or neutered were everywhere. Cats were almost as plentiful, but the cats were less sociable. Various articles I have read blame cats, feral and domesticated, for the low population of the solenodon because of their ability to climb and follow the solenodon up trees and into burrows. Being nocturnal- like the solenodon themselves, makes them the perfect predator for the slow and clumsy rodent. Hutia have been raised for meat, and hunted. Feral or unsupervised dogs will also go after them. All 8 varieties of hutia endemic to Cuba are listed as endangered. Of the 26 varieties of bats endemic to Cuba, 6 are endangered.
Explaining why anyone should care about a few peculiar endangered animals on a small ( politically charged) island 90 miles off the coast of Florida has been difficult. The United States is a vast country with varied terrain and diverse environmental challenges in many locations. In fact, I believe it is the ability to grasp the situation more readily that makes Cuba an ideal microcosm for examining how humans can favorably or negatively impact an ecosystem.