Hobbies And Interests
Chinchillas
These small rodents from the high Andes have a silky, gray fur, which became sought after for the fur trade in the late 19th century. The chinchilla was once an abundant species, and early explorers reported seeing hundreds on a daily basis. This little rodent is long-lived and can reproduce until the age of 15, but as pelt hunting intensified, their numbers began to drop. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural resources, or IUCN, has estimated that 2 million chinchilla pelts were taken between 1895 and 1900. An agreement was signed by Andean countries in 1910, to prohibit the capture, trade and export of both the long- and short-tailed chinchillas.
Sea Otter
This is the largest of all otter species. These marine otters were almost exterminated throughout their range by the fur trade. The hunting and slaughter of sea otters for their pelts, was considered to be the most devastating destruction of animal life during the entire history of the fur trade. Sea otters initially lived throughout the North Pacific rim, and their population numbered from 250,000 to 300,000. By 1910, sea otters had reached the verge of extinction, and biologist Karl Kenyon estimated their numbers to be between 1,000 and 2,000 animals.
Guadalupe Fur Seal
The population of this seal species in the 19th century was in the region of 200,000 individuals. The Guadalupe fur seal was virtually hunted to extinction for its fur during the 1900 fur trade. A tiny colony numbering 14 animals, including young seals or pups, was discovered on Guadalupe Island in 1950. This Island was subsequently declared a seal sanctuary in 1975 and the population of the Guadalupe seal has increased to in excess of 1,000 animals. This species has now begun to spread through its former range along the coast of western Mexico.
Beavers
The fur trade was initially confined to British posts on Vancouver Island. Between 1826 and 1834, the Hudson's Bay Company trappers working near the confluence of the Colville and Columbia rivers, slaughtered an average of 3,000 beavers annually. The American trappers, which subsequently arrived in the Columbia Basin, initiated more intensive trapping of beaver, and by 1900 this species was almost extinct. Through recent conservation efforts, beaver populations have stabilized and recovered.