Biodiversity buys the farm

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It’s not only wild animals in the rainforest that face extinction. A UN agricultural organization reports that the world is losing two domestic animal species, like cattle, sheep, poultry, and horses, every week.

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The source of the problem, according to the PANAFRICAN NEWS AGENCY, is domestic animals imported to developing countries from the developed world. Third World farmers import the animals, hoping they’ll yield more meat, milk, wool, or eggs per animal than the local version. But when the foreign farm animals arrive they interbreed with local animals, or replace them altogether, diluting or wiping out the native species.

And many times the farmer doesn’t even get more eggs out of the bargain. In the different, often harsher environment of the developing world, the imported species may not perform as well as they did back home, and sometimes don’t survive at all.

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BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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