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The Bonobo

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The Bonobo
The endangerment of animals is an issue that involves both the animals and the environment that they occupy. Unfortunately, it is a problem that has not raised enough flags to cause a global look into just how serious the matter is becoming. Mostly because of lack of education about the topic most people tend to overlook what is going on around them. To properly understand the process of endangerment we must first understand what it is. Also by evaluating the causes of endangerment and the factors that correspond with it we can better understand how it should be handled. There are many endangered species on the planet, but I will be focusing on the Bonobo Monkey and how the destruction of their habit, poaching and other issues are affecting their existence. Found mainly near the Congo River in the Dominican Republic their biggest threats are humans. I will examine why these primates are being targeted and what can be done to prevent the extinction of this animal.
According to the World Wildlife Fund (2012), there are 5,689 endangered species and an additional 10,000 that are on the brink of becoming endangered. These numbers continue to increase despite the various laws put in place to protect them. The Endangered Species Act of 1973 was an amendment founded for the protection of animals but it seems to be nonexistent today. Without government involvement it is hard to maintain rules and order, until this is done the numbers are projected to rise in the list of animals that are endangered. Redmond (2008) suggests that before humans existed the extinctions of animals was linked to natural world destruction such as climate change and natural processes of life. Now the extinction and endangerment of animals can be directly linked to human involvement, making it an global issue. While there are measures being taken to help control this problem not enough help is being offered and thousands of species are suffering. Governments have to take responsibility for the



References: Bonobo Conservation. (2013). Zoological Society of Milwaukee. Retrieved: http://www.zoosociety.org/conservation/Bonobo. Endangered Species International. (2013). Bonobos: Our closet relative endangered. Retrieved from http://www.endangeredspeciesinternational.org/bonobos_aug13.html Quammen, D. (2013). The new age of exploration. The wild life of a bonobo. Retrieved: 11 Nov. 2013. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/03/125-bonobos/quammen-text Redmond, I. (2008). The primate family tree: The amazing diversity of our closest relative. F B M de Waal., and Frans Lanting. (1997). Bonobo: The forgotten ape. Berkeley, Calif: Univ. of California. Wakefield, D. R., Robinson, D., and Ingram S. (2010). Alphabet of endangered mammals: A collection of etchings depicting animals considered extinct in the wild 2050. Goole: The Chevington Press. World Wildlife Fund. (2013). Retrieved from http://worldwildlife.org/species/bonobo

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