The Impact of a Few – Issue #110

Hello Explorer,
Around 5 years ago I had the great pleasure of saving a few individuals of a species, but I would have never thought of the great impact that it would have down the line. Today I can clearly see how great of an impact one small unthought release can have on the entire ecosystem.
A friend phoned me as they found some eggs in building sand, asking if I could possibly help to save the eggs from possibly not surviving. As I were very curious what the eggs could be from, I said Yes!
I took the eggs placed them on some moist vermiculite, and placed the tub inside an old wooden cage with a heating pad to keep the temperature constant so that they can develop and hatch healthily. When the eggs hatched, I had a sigh of relief as it turned out to be a clutch of Southern Tree Agama (Acanthocercus atricollis) eggs, and now I had a total of six hatchlings that I saved. I fed them for a week and decided to place them in the sun a few days after hatching to ensure that they get their vitamin D. My planning however turned out to be futile. I returned to check on them 5 minutes after placing them outside in their container, only to find that the last one was sitting on the edge of the tub ready to make a run for it. Needless to say, I did not catch it in time and so I released a total of six Southern Tree Agamas into the area where I stay. Up to that point I have never seen one of them around the house, but since the eggs came from less than a kilometer away, I thought that it shouldn’t be a problem. We have seen them all around the house and in the garden ever since I released the initial six.
Two weeks ago, I saw a freshly hatched Southern Tree Agama and decided to catch it for a photo or two and then to release it again. I named him Fred. I could clearly see that this hatchling is maximum a few days old as it still had the red soil from which it emerged all over its tiny face and body. This is one of my great, great, great grandchildren. I counted the years and calculated that this must be from the 5^th generation that has been born on the plot.

The part that has been coming back to me over and over is how great of an impact I have had on the wild population of Southern Tree Agamas around our house. A single initial release of six individuals established them in the area and it doesn’t seem that is the only effect I have had. Since the initial release we have seen snakes, birds of prey and even some mammals that are all known to prey on them, which I believe would not visit our house if the Agamas weren’t there. As a predator in the ecosystem, the southern tree agama has possibly even changed the entire species composition in the ecosystem around our house.
Even though this feels like a silly example of the ecological and ecosystem impacts we can have by changing one thing in the ecosystem it serves as a great reminder of the fact that we need to be very careful of what we release when and where. The impact thereof could change the ecosystem forever, very likely for the worse.
Have you ever had such an impact in your area that you know of? What backyard surprises have you witnessed due to new plant or animal introductions? Have you fed birds in your garden that led to other sighting like birds of prey that never came to your area? Did you plant new plants in the garden to attract butterflies, bees, or birds that could potentially have changed the entire ecosystem around your house or even in your entire neighbourhood?

If you would like to send me a message with your answers, feel free to do so on Instagram or Twitter @abugmanslife or via email to [email protected].