Over the billions of years that animals have been on Earth, millions have gone extinct and many new species have been created. Evolution and nature have expanded and shrunk the Earth’s wildlife population since the beginning of time. Today, with the Earth continuing to change, and humans impacting the environment, an abundance of animal populations are shrinking. Some of our favorite animals are endangered, including the Bengal Tiger, Chimpanzee, Blue Whale, and even elephants. This information is surprising, because these are animals that everyone knows, loves, and have even encountered at the zoo. Although extinction is a natural occurrence, it starts to become a problem when we as humans are contributing to the decline in population. Animals have certain purposes and serve important roles in nature. Because wildlife is interconnected, they affect the lives of countless other species in their diet and how they live. What humans do in our daily lives affects animals in many different ways. Deforestation, air and water pollution, and other human-induced environmental changes lead to the destruction of animal habitats, directly affecting their food supply and shelter. The loss of one animal species could actually result in a major change in the ecosystem and alter the balance of nature. This is why endangerment is a problem that can’t be ignored. Let’s take a look at one animal species that has recently been listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species under the endangered category. This list is the world’s most all-inclusive information source for endangered and threatened wildlife. Not only does it list the status of different species, but it also indicates the overall health of Earth’s biodiversity. A widely known species, the African Penguin was moved from the vulnerable category to the endangered category in 2010. These penguins had an extremely rapid decline in population that lead to them being listed as endangered. This out of the ordinary, but why? According to BirdLife South Africa, the population size began decreasing when industrial fishing began around the Cape. Because of human actionーfishing around penguin habitatsーpenguins lost more and more of their food supply. One may ask how can something like animal endangerment be stopped in a world so large and so dominated by human activity? Well, it can’t completely be stopped, but humans can do a lot to prevent the decrease of more populations. Here are some things that we can do to help: - Volunteer at a local wildlife sanctuary - Recycle - Join an organization Although these things might be small, they can make a big difference. We might not feel like we can do much to help our ecosystem and the animals living in it, but those little things do add up. Volunteering at a wildlife sanctuary in your area is probably my favorite way to get involved in protecting the animals. It’s a great place to observe and learn about nature and how animals live. It’s important to become educated on the subject in order to make a change yourself. Even getting the chance to teach younger kids about nature is great, because it drives them to want to protect our Earth from a young age. Recycling is another extremely important way to help create a safer environment for the animals. A bottle that was thrown on the ground could actually end up in the ocean, harming the wildlife that inhabits it. The Green Turtle is an example of one endangered ocean inhabitant that can be greatly affected by the trash and pollution that ends up there. Joining an organization directed towards helping a certain endangered species is a really great way to get involved. By joining an organization, you can contribute to the protection of the species by donating, or just by raising awareness. Animal endangerment is a growing problem throughout the world. More and more species are being threatened by human activity that occurs every day. We don’t want animals that are so important to our Earth and the ecosystem to die off because of our carelessness or lack of attention to the problem. We need to do something about it. I encourage everyone, not just animal lovers, to do research and to get involved with fighting against extinction. Sources “Why Do We Care About Endangered Species in North Carolina?” Official Web Page of the U S Fish and Wildlife Service, www.fws.gov/nc-es/es/whocares.html. “The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.” Rhinoceros Sondaicus (Javan Rhinoceros), www.iucnredlist.org/. “African Penguin Declared Endangered – National Geographic Blog.” National Geographic Blog, blog.nationalgeographic.org/2010/06/02/african-penguin-declared-endangered/. Merry, Mitch. “10 Easy Things You Can Do to Save Endangered Species.” Endangered Species Coalition, www.endangered.org/10-easy-things-you-can-do-to-save-endangered-species/. User, Super. “Welcome to BirdLife South Africa - BirdLife South Africa.” Welcome to BirdLife South Africa - BirdLife South Africa, www.birdlife.org.za/. Pictures Elephant- “Elephant.” WWF, World Wildlife Fund, www.worldwildlife.org/species/elephant. Penguins- “African Penguin Facts.” Accommodation South Africa - SA-Venues.com, www.sa-venues.com/penguin-facts.htm. Turtle- “How Polluted Oceans Hurt Us and How We Can Protect Them.” Connect For Water, 18 June 2018, connectforwater.org/how-polluted-oceans-hurt-us-and-how-we-can-protect-them/.
4 Comments
I think it's really cool that you put ways to help slow the extinction/endangerment rate, I also really liked how you mentioned Zoos because people often don't tend to see problems until it affects them, or its staring them in the face. Extinction is a big problem and I love that your trying to bring attention to it!
Reply
Hey Jessie! Thanks for stopping by to learn about animal endangerment and what we can do to help. It's always important to find ways that we as students can make a difference in our world. I agree with you about zoos and how many of us don't identify certain issues until it affects us, like not being able to see your favorite animal at the zoo anymore! That's why we need to act now by learning about endangerment, taking action, and bringing attention to the problem.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
|