Vanishing Of Many Species Of Animals example essay topic

Endangered animals refers to wild animals which are under threat of extinction or which have become extinct. Sixty-five million years ago the dinosaurs became extinct, sixty-five million years later, the lives of many animals are still under threat. Endangered species are victims of human activities, these activities includes destruction of natural habitats, pollution produced by factories and over exploitation as well as overpopulation. The American Indians, who settled north America 30,000 years before the Europeans were responsible for the extinction of many species through hunting, species such as the giant sloths and Mastodons. Since the Europen settlers arrived in the New World, the rate of extinction has accelerated.

The passenger pigeons is believed to have been the most numerous type bird in the world. They were hunted endlessly and in 1914, the last one died in an American zoo. Bison became nearly extinct during the 1800's due to the expansion of the railroads which caused destruction of habitats and the need of food for the builders. Other animals in North America that are considered to be endangered; The California Condor is North America's rarest bird.

The last remaining birds are being kept in zoos and are bred in a special recovery program. The Whopping Crane is another one of North America's endangered species. By the 1990's there were close to 150 in the wild, it's numbers are slowly building up. On july 12, 1995 Bald Eagle aws reclassified as endangered animals.

The majestic bird is refered to "bald", because of the white feathers on top of it's head, it's yellow eyes and sharp beaks in contrast with it's draw brown body. This predatory bird can grow up to 40 inches long with wings span of 6-8 feet, who can reach flight speed between 35 and 44 miles per hour. Unfortunatly, there are only 4,500 breeding pairs in the lower 48 states. The Bald eagle's diet consist of fish, waterfowl (small birds), small reptiles and small to medium size mammals. In 1947, Bald Eagles begin to decline severely, and DDT was found in the carcasses.

DDT was a common pesticide used in water to control mosquitoes. During the stages of the food chains, fish consumed mosquitoes, and Bald Eagle prey on the fish, therefore DDT was transfered from the mosquitoes to the Bald Eagle. DDT that are found in the tissue of the Bald Eagles, the chemical weakened the shells of the eagle's egg until they simply collapsed from the weight of the mother bird. DDT was banned on 31, december 1972, and since than the number of eagles which are protected by the Endangered Species Act as well as other federal and state laws, have begun to increase. Nearly half of the world's rain forests lie in Brazil, the Amazon Forests contain over three million square miles of tropical forest, with large quantity as well as quality timber which is worth over one trillion US dollars, it also contains over 50.000 species of plants and 20 percent of all known birds. The Amazon Forests were remote and inaccessible, leaving the wildlife undisturbed, however, roads begun to build over this wilderness which made it accessible to humans and machines.

The greatest damage to wildlife comes from lumber companies, ranch farmers and fur hunters. Jaguars became fashionable for fur coats and other items during the 1960's, as the jaguars became rare, the fur hunters used other alternatives, such as the Ocelots, the Ocelot is much smaller than the Jaguar but they have a similar fur pattern. The Ocelots became more difficult to hunt, the hunters began hunting other mammals such as the Margay and Geoffroy's Cats, these felines once roamed over Central and South America, but are now extinct or endangered. The Giant Anteater is found in the forest and swampy areas from Mexico down through Central and South America.

It d wels in places that are not inhabited by people. The Anteater is covered by bushy, dark grey and black fur with a white stripe on each shoulder, with a 40 cm long puffy tail. The Anteater has a cylinder shaped head with a long, tubular mouth, it has no teeth but a tongue which can extend as long as 25 cm, the long tongue is flicked in and out rapidly to scoop up ants, termites and other insects. The main threat to the Giant Anteater are humans, human population invasion, habitat destruction are some of the major threats. Forest fire is a major factor which threatens these animals, since their fur is very long and flammable, they are commonly found burned to death after severe forest fires. The wilderness in Europe has already been conquered by humans 5,000 years ago, many species have been exterminated or only survive in remote areas.

Victims such as the Europen Otters and the Grey Wolves, Europen Bisons were also close to extinction but they were saved by collectors such as the Duke Of BedFord who kept herds of captive Bisons. Captive animals were gathered together and reintroduced into it's enviroments. Wolves rarely attack human, but they pose serious threats to livestock, sheets in particular, and because of this, wolves were hunted and eliminated over nearly all of their range in Europe. Of all the felines in the world, the Iberian Lynxes are the closest to extinction, there are less than 800 left in restricted areas of Spain and Portugal. The Iberian Lynxes are dark yellow or brown in colour, heavily spotted, with long legs, short tail and distinctive black ear tuft. These predators lack in speed but they are highly efficient hunters, equiped with keen eyesight combined with powerful sense of smell, which allow these hunters to detect prey at distances of up to 300 m away.

The Iberian Lynxes' favourite habitat includes scrubland with scattered open areas. The biggest threat to the Iberian Lynxes are humans. This animal is considered to be hunting as trophy as well as vermin. The hunters value its fur and meat, the poachers are mainly interested in the fur as well as making profit, while some farmers appreciate the Lynxes for hunting foxes and rabbits but most of them still perceive the Lynxes as a serious threat to their livestock.

Many species of animals that we now associate with East Africa were once widespread in North Africa. Due to overgrazing of grass, the herds expanded their territory from North to East about 2000 years ago. Many of Africa's animals are continuing to decline in number, some animals die from diseases, but most animals die by the hands of the poachers. Cheetahs are being hunted for their fur, African Elephants are being slaughtered for their Ivory Tusks and the Black Rhinoceros are declining rapidly for their horn.

The Rhino horn is believed to be a very powerful medicine for the Chinese culture. It is very effective in reducing high fevers, aiding in blood clotting, strokes and it is also used as a tranquilizer. The Black Rhino is the second largest land mammal, growing up to a height of 1.5 to 2 m, a length of 3.35 to 4.2 m and weight up to 5000 kg. It is most recognized by its twin horns.

The Black Rhinoceros can only be found in North Africa. During the 1970's Rhinos begin to decline dramatically, due the result of overpricing of oil. Crafts men in the Arab country of Yemen coverts rhino horns into dagger handles, the handles are symbol of wealth and status. Few people can afford these craft items. However Yemen and other middle eastern countries are rich in oil, and since there was a worldwide oil shortage, these craft men were able to live from selling oil, therefore the price of the daggers became affordable and highly demanded by everyone. From the 65.000 Black Rhinos found in 1970, are now left with less than 2,500.

The trading of Rhino horns or their by-products are now banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which was an agreement signed by over 120 countries, but poaching and illegal trading continues. Asia has the largest population in the world, therefore, due to agricultural purposes, many habitats of animals were invaded. These animals include the Asian elephant, three species of Rhinos and the Giant Pandas. The Giant Panda is one of the rarest animals in the world, it's habitat are the bamboo forests in China, this large bear can weight up to 130 kg. The Giant Panda has very distinctive black and white fur pattern, black markings on the ears, limbs, shoulders and around the eyes.

Although the Giant Panda is a carnivore, its main diet consists of only bamboo sticks. Since the bamboo sticks have little nutritional value, this large animal has to continu sly eat for up to 14 hours a day. With this massive appetite, the bamboo forests are declining in numbers, in return the Panda bears are declining in numbers as well. The Giant Panda shares its habitat with a variety of animals which holds great hunting values to the hunters, these include as Deer's and their antlers and bear's skin and paws. The traps that are set to capture these animals often trap the Pandas and the skin of the Pandas can be priced highly in the black market.

The Giant Pandas' main meal; the bamboo, was shrieked in number by half between 1974 and 1988, due to agriculture, logging and China's population increase. The penalty for poaching or trading Panda's fur in China is death. Australia is the largest island in the world, it contains some of the rarest animals. The only animals that ever reached Australia were Marsupials (pouched mammals) and Monotremes (egg layers), these animals were ranged in size from as small as moles to as large as Kangaroos.

When the Europeans colonized Australia, they introduced domestic and wild animals which competed with the native species. Many species of animals are now endangered because of the loss of habitat for human refuge, but there are other animals such as the Mallee fowl, Flash Jack and the Greater Bilby that are threatened by the introduction of foxes and feral cats. The Greater Bilby belongs to the Marsupials, it is only 30-45 cm in length including its tail and weight 1-2 kg. The Greater Bilby is covered with grey coloured fur with white coloured tail, its ears are much like the rabbit's. Its diet mainly consists of termites, insects, small animals and roots of plants. The Greater Bilby was found in over 70% of the mainlands in Australia, but there's only around 600 left which only del in the deserts.

Agricultural, road construction and residents the major effect on the declining numbers of the Greater Bilby, but more importantly, these native Australian animals are threatened by cats and Foxes which were introduced by the European settlers. Marine animals have been hunted by human since prehistoric times, animals such as the Elephant Seals and Walruses are hunted for food, their blubber and tusks. Whales, Sharks and Dolphins have also been a popular target for the last 200 years, although these sea animals are being protected by humans but a large number of these animals are still dying from the spilling of oil or left over fish nets which prevent these animals from feeding. Humpback Whales can be found in all oceans, they are the largest mammals on earth, measuring 25 m in length and weight in at around 150 tons. The colour of the Humpback Whale is are black, grey and white, its meal consists of small fish and kills. After the invention of explosive harpoons, the poaching for whales became a very popular industry.

The Whales are mainly hunted for it's oil and bones, but accidental oil spill into the ocean can also cause death to these and many other creatures in the ocean. In 1900 an estimate of 115,000 Humpback Whales roamed the ocean; today there are approximately 20,000 left. Clearly, the vanishing of many species of animals has a direct connection with human activities and the development of the economy. Each year, millions of acres of tropical rain forests are being cut down to create more farmland in order to the high demand of crops. But the soil that supports the rain forest cannot support the field of crops or the cattle's, within a few years, the land will lose its fertility, the farmers will abandon the land, moving deeper into the forest and rebuild his business. Corporations and Industries are raising in number, they are needed to provide jobs and income for the people, at the same time, industries are invading the property of many wildlife.

Pollutions are produced by factories which are harmful to wildlife. Chemicals used to kill unwanted weeds, insects and other pests often harm beneficial organisms. Sewage dumped into rivers and oceans and fertilizers washed off farmlands change the ecology of aquatic habitats. A 1989 study of fish caught in the Great Lakes found that 90% contained levels of toxic chemicals that were dangerous to wildlife; 25% contained levels dangerous to humans. The diminishing of many species of animals is undeniable, often times, people choose to ign or the possibility of certain animal becoming extinct. However, there are many organizations around the world that are protecting the endangered animals.

WWF stands for World Wildlife Fund it was established by Sir Peter Scott and Sir Julian Huxley in 1961. The WWF is the world's largest and most experienced independent conservative organization, with 52 offices working in more than 90 countries. The purpose of World Wildlife Fund is to address and promote the issues from the survival of species and habitats to climate change, sustainable business and enviromental education. The WWF is well-known for their work to conserve wildlife.

However the WWF is constantly challenging and influence governments, industries as well as local people to reduce pollution and deforestation and to ensure new legislation are to protect species and habitat in a long term effect. There are many methods developed by scientists and environmentalists to recover and maintain the growth of species of animals. Critical Habitats are designating areas, which are restricted to any human activities, these areas are used to protect certain species of animals. Critical Habitats includes food, water, shelter and fair number of indivisuals to make a viable breeding population. The most effective way of dealing with species crises is the Captive Breeding. Indivisuals are captured from the wild and brought to a zoo, university or other facility, there they are housed under conditions believed to be right for breeding and they are protected from disease, predators and human contact.

It is important to protect endangered animals, because as natural habitats are destroyed and populations of a species decline, genetic diversity is diminished, genetic diversity is the variations within the genetic material of a species. When species become extinct, the information carried in their genes is lost forever, which means that those animals will never be seen again, the dinosaurs is a perfect example. It is not too late to save the animals and it's enviroments, there are ways for every indivisuals to help, reduce or eliminate the use of hazardous pesticides and household chemicals, join and support organizations that work on enviromental issues (such as the wwf), limit the use of natural resources by recycling and by purchasing items made from recycled materials. By taking one step at a time, there will be hope for the animals that currently listed as endangered.