OTTAWA, Sept. 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Long-billed Curlew and Pronghorn are the focus of new Hinterland Who’s Who (HWW) public service announcements about the biodiversity and conservation of the Canadian Grasslands.
“Grasslands are among the most endangered ecosystems in the world,” said Annie Langlois, Hinterland Who’s Who Coordinator. “Because such a small portion of Canada’s original grasslands remain today, many of these species are under significant threat.”
The Long-billed Curlew, a migratory bird that winters in Mexico, Texas and coastal California, returning to the Central Great Plains of the USA and Canada during the breeding season, is our continent’s largest shorebird, Langlois said. Their extremely long, down-curved bill is well adapted to a prairie diet of invertebrates, such as grasshoppers. Habitat loss and a disproportionate increase in predators are contributing to a decline in the Long-billed Curlew’s population so it is now considered a species of Special Concern in Canada.
The Pronghorn, often misnamed an antelope, can run up to 100 kilometres an hour and is one of the fastest mammals in the world, second only to the cheetah, Langlois added.
“This speed reveals it as a true master of the North American grassland — the only place in the world where it exists, giving us another important reason to preserve this habitat.”
When Europeans first colonized North America, there were an estimated 30 to 40 million Pronghorns, but by 1886 they were gone from Manitoba’s prairies and all but gone from Saskatchewan and Alberta. Without extraordinary conservation efforts they might have gone extinct. Although now considered secure, Pronghorn still face many challenges such as habitat loss, barbed wire fencing and climate change.
The Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) encourages broadcasters, educators and members of the public to download the new videos, as well as hundreds of other vintage and modern wildlife vignettes and related resources on HWW.ca.
About Hinterland Who's Who
First created in 1963, HWW made bold use of a relatively new medium — black and white television — to reach the Canadian general public. The new Hinterland Who's Who, launched in 2003, serves to rebuild the connection thousands of viewers made with wildlife through the original series and ensure that wildlife remains part of what it means to be Canadian. HWW is a joint program of the Canadian Wildlife Federation and Environment and Climate Change Canada.
About the Canadian Wildlife Federation:
The Canadian Wildlife Federation is a national, not-for-profit charitable organization dedicated to fostering awareness and appreciation of our natural world. By spreading knowledge of human impacts on the environment, carrying out research, developing and delivering education programs, promoting the sustainable use of natural resources, recommending changes to policy and co-operating with like-minded partners, CWF encourages a future in which Canadians can live in harmony with nature. For more information, visit CanadianWildlifeFederation.ca.
For more information: media@cwf-fcf.org
or
Annie Langlois,
Hinterland Who’s Who Coordinator
AnnieL@cwf-fcf.org
613.599.9594 x 228
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ac1d6b77-fdde-4044-a631-c0fb8aba1e3d
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8df5148a-cadf-43fc-853f-e2a41a57da6a
