▁introduced ▁by ▁human ▁populations . ▁Following ▁the ▁ 2 0 1 4 ▁discovery ▁in ▁Mad agas car ▁of ▁the ▁Asian ▁common ▁to ad , ▁a ▁relative ▁of ▁a ▁to ad ▁species ▁that ▁has ▁sever ely ▁har med ▁wild life ▁in ▁Australia ▁since ▁the ▁ 1 9 3 0 s , ▁research ers ▁war ned ▁the ▁to ad ▁could ▁" w re ak ▁hav oc ▁on ▁the ▁country ' s ▁unique ▁fa una ." ▁Hab itat ▁destruction ▁and ▁hunting ▁have ▁threatened ▁many ▁of ▁Mad agas car ' s ▁en demic ▁species ▁or ▁driven ▁them ▁to ▁ext inction . ▁The ▁island ' s ▁ele ph ant ▁birds , ▁a ▁family ▁of ▁en demic ▁giant ▁rat ites , ▁became ▁ext inct ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 7 th ▁century ▁or ▁earlier , ▁most ▁probably ▁because ▁of ▁human ▁hunting ▁of ▁adult ▁birds ▁and ▁po aching ▁of ▁their ▁large ▁eggs ▁for ▁food . ▁N umer ous ▁giant ▁lem ur ▁species ▁van ished ▁with ▁the ▁arrival ▁of ▁human ▁sett lers ▁to ▁the ▁island , ▁while ▁others ▁became ▁ext inct ▁over ▁the ▁course ▁of ▁the ▁centuries ▁as ▁a ▁growing ▁human ▁population ▁put ▁greater ▁press ures ▁on ▁lem ur ▁habit ats ▁and , ▁among ▁some ▁populations , ▁increased ▁the ▁rate ▁of ▁lem ur ▁hunting ▁for ▁food . ▁A ▁July ▁ 2 0 1 2 ▁assess ment ▁found ▁that ▁the ▁explo itation ▁of ▁natural ▁resources ▁since ▁ 2 0 0 9 ▁has ▁had ▁dire ▁consequences ▁for ▁the ▁island ' s ▁wild life : ▁ 9 0   percent ▁of ▁lem ur ▁species ▁were