What is the exact definition of wildlife?

What is the exact definition of wildlife?

v  There is no universal definition of wildlife.However there are these definitions:

1)      Living things that are neither human nor domesticated; especially mammals, birds and fishes hunted by man.

2)      All free living vertebrates in their naturally associated environment.

3)       Any free living species from vertebrates to invertebrates.

• The first definition is too restrictive because only hunted animal species are considered i.e game animals.
• The second version excludes invertebrates but the third one includes invertebrates.
• Common to all definitions is that only wild animals  are considered as wildlife and not wild plants.
•  1^st and 2^nd can be combined.

•       Wildlife is all free living vertebrates and invertebrates in their natural environments.

•       Two key points in the definitions.

1. Free living.
2. Natural environment.

Ø  Free living means animals must not be fenced or kept in an enclosure like in a zoo.

Ø  Thus it does not include populations of native species that are farmed in isolation from their natural habitat.

Ø   The natural environment is the natural place where the species can use all its adaptations.

Ø  This is an important and unique characteristic of wildness of an animal to be called wildlife.