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Saturday 12 auguSt 2023 LOCAL
A10

Episode 33

Habitat destructionThe Aruban Borrowing Owl

Eco-cide: Is the process of destroy- the day, and makes soft cackling
ing the natural way of life in such sounds
a manner that it becomes com-
pletely incapable of supporting its Aruba`s Borrowing Owl: 1 (Athene
native species, turning the land in cunicularia arubensis), known as
to something worse than a desert. Shoco, in Papiamento, which most
In an unregulated or unsupervised probably derives from the Caque-
process of progress, lives that pre- tian “ Xeque”, the Aruban endem-
viously used a specific part of the ic sub-species of the burrowing owl
land as their habitat have become family.
victims, exposed to being dis-
placed or destroyed; condemning Standing about 7-10 inches tall,
our native and unique species to this little owl gets its name from
extinction is not an option. where it lives. Burrowing owls are
often found in abandoned rodent
Addressing government officials, burrows, old tubes, most often the
as well as parliamentary repre- dig a nest in sand mounds. Far
sentatives of the imminent actions from trees, they nest and live near
necessary that should be consid- their burrows. Their brown-mottled
ered against habitat destruction feathers help them blend in to the
and that nature is to be taken in surrounding landscape where they
consideration as condition num- dine on insects, small mammals,
ber one no matter what the plan and sometimes reptiles and am-
is. The purpose of developing our phibians.
tourist industry, has reached its sus-
tainable capability. Reconsidering Burrowing owls can be difficult to
depleting our natural resources spot if they are not moving. In addi-
for economic and urbanization tion to their ability to naturally cam-
purposes. Clearing habitats for ouflage with their environment, an
hotels, housing, commercial and owl appears from a distance to be
infrastructure facilities is the princi- just another prairie dog standing
pal cause of habitat destruction. sentry near its underground home.
Adding to this, the harming ef- An observer must carefully scan a
fects UTV`s causes when off- roads prairie dog colony with binoculars,
up and down like extras of a Mad looking carefully for any move-
Max seen, followed by sand and ments from the owls. The reward
lime stone mining activities, illegal may be seeing the little dancing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traw- species, especially cats and snakes sources were to be shared with visi- hops the owls sometimes do as
lingtrashing, dumping and urban- as the boa constrictor, insects, liz- tors. The islands way of life, is where they bob around on their long legs.
ization. ards and amphibians of adjacent all its value rests upon and all we
ecosystems that easily can alter have to offer besides our genuine Burrowing owls catch food as they
Habitat destruction is currently the balance of nature. Aruban friendship our mystic land- walk or run along the ground, and
ranked as the primary cause of scapes and ecosystem. We must sometimes snatch insects in midair
species disappearance all over At this rate of development our: realize that devaluation and “eco- as they fly just above the surface.
the planet. Imagine on a tiny island 1.Burrowing owl and the 2. Aru- degradation” occurs with every Much of their food sources are
like ours, confronting a constant ban rattlesnake: Crotalus durissus tree we cut, every building we available during the day, but they
process of natural environmental unicolor are close to many of be- erect, every emigrant we import, are also active at night.
change that is mainly caused by ing the next species that runs the with every habitat we destroy we
habitat fragmentation, geologi- same fate as of the 3. Blauduif, or kill many species. We should guard Source; Island Insight column by Et-
cal processes as erosion, climate Red-necked: Columba squamosa our patrimony. We must keep the nia Nativa
change or by human activities, and 4. Lora or Cota, the Yellow- island life, otherwise we will be
such as the introduction of invasive Shouldered Amazon: Amazona dealing with a nation severely af-
barbadensis, not to mention these fected by social problems which
two birds have completely disap- demands large public funding to
peared off the island due to hu- address and resolve many new is-
man activities in to their habitat. sues we today can prevent. Social
education and Cultural preserva-
The illusion that we must grow eco- tion is imminent.
nomically by taking over nature
will soon collect its toll, if we do not When we talk about owls many
act and take our fragile ecosystem of you would think of a large bird,
in consideration. What is going on swooping down at night on prey,
now on Aruba is unprecedented hooting loudly from a tree, like you
if we see how much ecocide has have seen on cartoons on mov-
been taken place lately versus the ies. However our burrowing owl_
last 30 years. Encouraged by gen- the only species of owls found on
erous incentives whose only goal Aruba_ hardly fits the mold. This
is exploiting the property to the small, spindly-legged owl lives on
max. Human, as well as island re- the ground, is seen hunting during