Endangered Species; Human Fault
Endangered Species; The Cause Needs to Find a Solution
There are a plethora of endangered species on the planet today, but whose fault is it they’re almost extinct? Are humans to blame, or would the natural process of life have destroyed them regardless of our presence on Earth? The fact that we are here, and dominate, tells me that regardless of if we are the cause, we should be the solution. There are over 900 extinct species, and 16,900 endangered (3). We have the capability of slowing, or even stopping, the extinction of many animals today. All that’s required is support, effort, and will to do so. Do you want your grandchildren to see polar bears in their school’s history books, or would we like them to go to the zoo to watch them alive and well? We have already destroyed the Western Black Rhino population(1); how many more will we, as humans, be held responsible for?
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Africa’s Western Black Rhino is now officially extinct. After being a victim of increasingly devastating poaching and seeing little to no conservation efforts, the species is now gone, and others – including the Northern White Rhino and Asia’s Javan rhino – are expected to swiftly follow unless efforts to stop the senseless killing of them prevail (1). In this case, yes, it is the presence of the human population which is to blame for extinction. Had we done more, these helpless Rhinos - many simply murdered for a horn - could have continued to thrive on Earth. How many animals are we, with evidence, destroying?
Tigers were first put on the endangered species list in the 1960’s, but trophy hunting and fur trade has continued despite the heightened risk of extinction (2). Fewer than 600 Mediterranean monk seals exist and they are one of world’s most critically endangered marine mammals. Their decline can be attributed to industrial development and the establishment of resort areas along the Mediterranean Sea- but
There are a plethora of endangered species on the planet today, but whose fault is it they’re almost extinct? Are humans to blame, or would the natural process of life have destroyed them regardless of our presence on Earth? The fact that we are here, and dominate, tells me that regardless of if we are the cause, we should be the solution. There are over 900 extinct species, and 16,900 endangered (3). We have the capability of slowing, or even stopping, the extinction of many animals today. All that’s required is support, effort, and will to do so. Do you want your grandchildren to see polar bears in their school’s history books, or would we like them to go to the zoo to watch them alive and well? We have already destroyed the Western Black Rhino population(1); how many more will we, as humans, be held responsible for?
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Africa’s Western Black Rhino is now officially extinct. After being a victim of increasingly devastating poaching and seeing little to no conservation efforts, the species is now gone, and others – including the Northern White Rhino and Asia’s Javan rhino – are expected to swiftly follow unless efforts to stop the senseless killing of them prevail (1). In this case, yes, it is the presence of the human population which is to blame for extinction. Had we done more, these helpless Rhinos - many simply murdered for a horn - could have continued to thrive on Earth. How many animals are we, with evidence, destroying?
Tigers were first put on the endangered species list in the 1960’s, but trophy hunting and fur trade has continued despite the heightened risk of extinction (2). Fewer than 600 Mediterranean monk seals exist and they are one of world’s most critically endangered marine mammals. Their decline can be attributed to industrial development and the establishment of resort areas along the Mediterranean Sea- but
Citations: 1. http://earthfirstjournal.org/newswire/2013/05/07/western-black-rhino-declared-extinct/ 2. http://www.huntercourse.com/blog/2011/08/10-animals-hunted-or-nearly-hunted-to-extinction/ 3. http://www.endangeredspeciesinternational.org/overview1.html 4. http://listverse.com/2013/06/11/8-endangered-species-still-hunted/ 5.http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/teacher_resources/best_place_species/back_from_the_brink/gray_whale.cfm 6. http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/esa_works/