Monarch butterflies were in abundance just a few decades ago, but now they’re a rare sight indeed and that’s likely because they’re now endangered. And in Mexico where large populations of the insects go to hibernate for the winter, their diminishing numbers are on epic display. According to Mexico’s Commission for National Protected Areas and the World Wildlife Fund, their count was down 22% over last year. Veuer’s Tony Spitz has the details.
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00:00These are the gorgeous monarch butterflies.
00:02They once were in abundance just a few decades ago,
00:05but now they're a rare sighting indeed.
00:06And that's likely because they're now endangered.
00:09And in Mexico, where large populations of the insects go to hibernate for the winter,
00:13their diminishing numbers are on epic display.
00:15According to Mexico's Commission for National Protected Areas and the World Wildlife Fund,
00:20their count was down 22% over last year,
00:23measured by the area in which their cocoons were detected,
00:25down from over 7 acres of forest last year to just 5.46 this year.
00:30The creatures spend the warmer months up north in areas around the U.S. and Canada,
00:34but this coming summer, we'll expect to see far fewer.
00:37So why are their numbers dwindling so rapidly?
00:39Experts say climate change is likely the biggest driver.
00:42This is Gloria Tavera, Conservation Director General of the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas.
00:47According to her, a lot of the butterfly's disappearance is related to water scarcity,
00:51all stemming from temperature drops in the north of the country,
00:53leading to longer freezes and extreme drought.
00:56Adding to the lack of water weakens the trees,
00:58meaning more pests, more disease, and fewer monarch butterflies.