Introduction
You might be wondering what endangered means. An animal is endangered when there aren’t many of them living in the wild anymore. An endangered animal is threatened with extinction.
Once an animal is extinct there is no way to reverse this. An extinct animal is gone forever. Any kind of animal can become endangered.
Some of the most endangered animals in the world today are Mountain Gorillas, Tigers, Amur Leopards, Irrawaddy Dolphins, Orangutans, Leatherback Sea Turtles and Asian Elephants.
How do animals become endangered?
Animals become endangered due to loss of natural habitat, disease, pollution or humans overusing natural resources.
One of the main causes of an animal becoming endangered is the loss of it’s habitat. A loss of habitat can happen naturally. Dinosaurs, for instance, lost their habitat 65 million years ago. The hot dry climate of the Cretaceous period changed very quickly and the dinosaurs were unable to adapt to the cooler habitat. Dinosaurs became endangered, then extinct.
While habitat may be lost due to natural forces, most of the habitat lost today is due to human activity. Development for housing, industry, and agriculture can eliminate habitat and native species.Climate change is causing more wild fires leading to a loss of species. More than one billion mammals, birds and reptiles may have been affected or killed by the fires sweeping across Australia (2019/2020), according to a University of Sydney estimate.Pesticides and other chemicals are used to get rid of insects, pests, or weeds from crops. They can also poison plants and animals if they are not used correctly.Overhunting and overfishing have reduced the populations of many animals.For a long time people didn’t realize how much their actions impacted the environment. Today many animals are endangered because of our actions.
Examples of Endangered Animals
Bald Eagle
The bald eagle is one bird that was harmed by pesticides.
In the past, a pesticide called DDT was used by many farmers. Rains washed the pesticide into the lakes and streams where it poisoned fish. After eating the poisoned fish, the eagles would lay eggs with very thin shells. These eggs were usually crushed before they could hatch.
Today people are not allowed to use DDT and the bald eagle, although once endangered, has been taken off the endangered species list.
Amur Leopard
The Amur leopard is one of the world’s most endangered cats. There are only 60-70 Amur leopards left in the wild today. The main causes for their low population are habitat destruction from commercial farming and illegal poaching for fur.
Fortunately efforts by organizations like the World Wildlife Fund and the Amur Leopard and Tiger Alliance have been working to recover the species from extinction.
Leatherback Sea Turtles
Half of all sea turtles have ingested plastic, a new study has found, as Greenpeace warns that the species could become extinct.
The report stated that once a turtle had consumed just 14 pieces of plastic,it had a 50pc chance of dying .
Research by the environmental group found that climate change is having a devastating impact on Leatherback sea turtles, which have to travel farther and farther to find food due to the warming seas. The study found the number of eggs laid by the Reptiles on beaches is about 100 times smaller now than it was in the 1990s.
Leatherback sea turtles migrate north after nesting to reach cooler waters to find their prey.
They used to be able to travel short distances to find sufficient food, but as the oceans warm and currents change they are now being forced to go twice as far.
Leatherback sea turtles migrate north after nesting to reach cooler waters to find their prey.
They used to be able to travel short distances to find sufficient food, but as the oceans warm and currents change they are now being forced to go twice as far.
The extra energy expanded to find new feeding grounds is likely to reduce the number of eggs they lay each season, shrinking turtle numbers.
Mountain Gorillas
You may not know that there are only 1000 mountain gorillas left in the wild today.
But like the bald eagle, populations are getting better and better, the mountain gorilla’s population has doubled since 1981.
12 things you can do to help.
1. Educate your family and friends about endangered animals in your area. It’s not just about the Amur Leopard it’s also about the ecosystem in your own backyard.
2. Recycle and buy sustainable products.
3. Grow native plants. You are providing food and shelter for native wildlife.
4. Reduce your water consumption. Clean water is a global problem for wild animals, so the less humans consume, the better.
5. Reduce your personal footprint. Drive less, walk more, use public transport and car pools.
6. Do not buy plastic products. Wild animals get tangled in these products, and they end up in the ocean being ingested by small fish.
7. Pressure your representatives in government. Voters and consumers must take a stand, sign petitions, write letters and donate.
8. Volunteer to protect the wildlife in your area. Volunteering at wildlife refuges and parks might mean just educating visitors or picking up litter but it’s still helpful.
9. Do not purchase products from companies that are known polluters. Support companies that play their part in protecting the environment.
10. If you hunt, know which populations of game need culling and which are under threat.
11. When travelling to avoid buying souvenirs that are under threat including: tortoise-shell, ivory and coral.
12. Don’t use herbicides and pesticides. These chemicals take a long time to degrade and build up in the soils before disseminating throughout the food chain.
Credits
:National Geographic
:Idaho public television
:www.Huffpost.com
:Irish Independent
:The Washington Post
About the author.
Jessica is 9 years old and lives in San Francisco with her mom, dad, and sister.
Having read about endangered animals and our impact on the environment Jessica is going to be more careful about using plastic.