Endangered Species Need Our Protection - Now
When humans first entered North America over the Bering land bridge some 13,000 years ago, they found rich hunting grounds with many large and docile animals - mastodons, ground sloths, horses, camels, tapirs, giant beavers and large peccaries. Within several centuries these skilled hunters wiped out these animals, hunting them to extinction. Many species face extinction today as conservation groups strive to protect them and their habitats.
Massive Extinctions Caused by Stone Age Hunters
Humans first entered North America via the Bering land bridge about 13,000 years ago. The extinctions of all the major fauna of the continent -- North American horses, a camel, the Shasta ground sloth, the saber-toothed tiger, a tapir, a giant sloth, a giant beaver and the flat-headed peccary -- all occurred around 13,000 years ago.The mammoth, the mastodon and the short-faced bear lasted a little longer, becoming extinct around 12,000 years ago. Skeletal remains of many of these animals have been found, with the distinctive spear points of the Clovis culture lying within their bones.
Further evidence for the role of humans in the extinction of large animals is to be found in the Caribbean islands, whose major fauna (ground sloths, large rodents, many bird and bat species) went extinct about 6250 years ago, also coincident with the arrival of humans.
Humans first arrived in Australia some 53,000 years ago. Recent study has shown that a bird called Genyornis, about twice as heavy as the largest living emu, died out abruptly around 50,000 years ago. There is at present no unequivocal evidence for the survival of any Australian megafauna more recently than 40,000 years ago.Of all the continents, only Africa possesses anything like an intact fauna, including the large carnivores, elephants, rhinos, and giraffes. Scientists believe that since modern humans first evolved in Africa over 100,000 years ago, African species had time to learn strategies to deal with the dangers of human hunters.
In Eurasia, North and South America, and Australia, native species had no fear of humans when they arrived, so were easily slaughtered -- and rapidly driven to extinction. (Tim Flannery, in his excellent book The Eternal Frontier summarizes this evidence. Click here to read an extended review of The Eternal Frontier.)
Many more species have become extinct since humans first became mighty hunters. Habitat disturbance, the encroachment of human populations, climate disruption, pollution, spreading of toxic wastes, the use of insecticides and herbicides, overfishing and overhunting have all contributed to species loss.
Endangered Species
Many animals and plants are endangered today. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) has calculated the percentage of endangered species as 40 percent of all organisms! While some species have been afforded legal protections, most have not.The IUCN Red List categorizes species along a continuum of degree of imperilment. Their categories include:
- Extinct: the last remaining member of the species has died. Examples: Dodo, Passenger Pigeon
- Extinct in the wild: captive individuals survive, but there is no free-living, natural population. Example: Alagoas Curassow (a type of pheasant)
- Critically endangered: faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the immediate future. Examples: Ivory-billed Woodpecker, Javan Rhino
- Endangered: faces a very high risk of extinction in the near future. Examples: Cheetah, Blue Whale, Snow Leopard
- Vulnerable: faces a high risk of extinction in the medium-term. Examples: Gaur (a southeast Asian ox), Lion
- Least Concern: Brown Rat
Can Animals and Humans Live Together?
Some animals are developing an uneasy truce with humans, finding ways to survive in and around urban areas. In my neighborhood of suburban Nashville, TN I have sighted deer, red foxes, rabbits, squirrels, possums, raccoons, skunks, chipmunks, red-tailed hawks, turkey vultures, Canada geese, barn owls, red-headed woodpeckers, as well as native songbirds and migratory birds that are passing through. Unfortunately, some of these animals have also seen at the side of highways, testament to the high mortality inflicted by automobiles on the animal populations.Each contact with an animal living in the wild (whether in the suburbs, or in a wilderness area) offers the opportunity for moments of wonder, as we witness them going about their ancient ways. Perhaps they acknowledge our presence, perhaps not. Yet this encounter reminds us of the compelling persistence of life on this planet, and the rich diversity of speciation that has spread across the globe.
Without concerted action the extinctions of species will only accelerate.
There have been five massive extinction periods in the Earth's history - we are now in the midst of the sixth. The Holocene extinction is the scientific term for the massive loss of species that has been occurring with increasing severity since the Industrial Revolution.
Take Action Now
If you support taking action to save our endangered wildlife, add your link.
Animals in the Wild
When humans first entered North America over the B more...1 point
Saving the Earth: Caring for the Environment and Protecting Endangered Species
Saving the Earth is all about ... saving the Earth more...1 point
Outstanding Reading on Endangered Animals
Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlifeby David Burnie
Stunning photographs and informative text elevate this book beyond a coffee-table existence. It includes nformation on the classification of animals, their habitats and behavior with charts, maps, photographs and illustrations. Subsequent chapters focus on specific species, divided into broad groups: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes and invertebrates. Endangered species information is at the end of each chapter. Since biodiversity is now at the forefront of biologists' concerns, the volume reports on the issues critical to ecology, from habitat loss to the species that are most endangered within each class.
Amazon.com Editor's Choice - Best of 2001.
Song for the Blue Ocean: Encounters Along the World's Coasts and Beneath the Seasby Carl Safina
In this lyrical and heartfelt account of the North Atlantic Blue Tuna and Pacific Salmon, Safina describes how populations have fallen by more than 90% in just the last few decades - the result of changing global temperatures, overfishing, pollution, and inland watershed destruction. Safina argues that we must extend our sense of biological community to ocean animals before it is too late.
The Birds of Heaven: Travels with Cranesby Peter Matthiessen
National Book Award winner Peter Matthiessen, a self-professed "craniac," has been studying birds most of his life, but his pursuit of cranes is closer to a spiritual quest than a naturalist's exercise. These majestic, mythic and notoriously shy birds, capable of soaring at heights of 20,000 feet, are often fond of remote and rugged places. Matthiessen's search for cranes has taken him to hidden corners of Siberia, China, Mongolia, Tibet, Sudan, and Australia. Matthiessen observes that the cranes serve as an ecological warning: "Perhaps more than any other living creatures, they evoke the retreating wilderness, the vanishing horizons of clean water, earth, and air upon which their species - and ours too - must ultimately depend for survival."
Read an extended review of The Birds of Heaven.
Elephant Memories: Thirteen Years in the Life of an Elephant Familyby Cynthia Moss
Amboseli National Park in southern Kenya is home ground to some 600 elephants; this herd has been relatively free from human interference and was a major focus for field study. Moss follows one extended family through 13 years of good times and bad times, observing details of their daily lives. This captivating story of an animal family covers mating, migration, social behavior, births and deaths. The final chapter addresses the problems of elephant control and conservation.
Read an extended review of Elephant Memories.
Videos of Endangered Wildlife
We must help them!
Some of the Best in Film on Wildlife
Galapagos (DVD)BBC, Warner
In these volcanic islands off the west coast of Ecuador we see a living laboratory of life, both geological and biological. The westernmost islands are still rising above the sea, while the eastern islands are sinking, ultimately to disappear below the surface. Between the two are the middle islands - fertile, lush lands that contain an incredible diversity of life and inspired Darwin to first formulate his theory of evolution. This beautifully filmed journey highlights the exotic wildlife in the midst of gorgeous scenery.
The Life of Birds (3 DVD set)BBC, Warner
The definitive series on the most colorful, popular and perfectly adapted creatures on earth, The Life of Birds traverses the globe, covering 42 countries and examining over 300 different species. Pushing filming technology to the limits, new behavior is brought to the screen in staggering detail. Infrared cameras find oilbirds deep in pitch-black caves; ultra-slowmotion film unravels the complexities of bird flight; and ultraviolet cameras reveal the world from a bird's point of view. Ten hours viewing time.
Link List for Wildlife Preservation
- Amboseli Trust for Elephants
- The Amboseli Trust for Elephants aims to ensure the long-term conservation and welfare of Africa's elephants in the context of human needs and pressures through scientific research, training, community outreach, public awareness and advocacy.
The elephants of Amboseli in Kenya are the most celebrated wild elephants in the world. Since 1972, close observation by Cynthia Moss and her research team has led to intimate knowledge of these intelligent and complex animals. - Cousteau Society
- The Cousteau Society is a membership-supported, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the protection and improvement of the quality of life for present and future generations. More than one hundred books and 115 films to date have documented a variety of habitats: Antarctica, Haiti, Cuba, the Marquesas Islands and the Tuamotu Archipelago, New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, the Andaman Islands, Borneo, Indonesia, Madagascar, South Africa, Lake Baikal and the Amazon, Mekong, Danube and Yellow rivers among others. Recent expeditions include the Caspian Sea, the St. Lawrence River of Canada and the Red Sea.
- Greenpeace International
- Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning organisation that acts to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace.
- International Crane Foundation
- ICF works worldwide to conserve cranes and the wetland and grassland ecosystems on which they depend. ICF is dedicated to providing experience, knowledge, and inspiration to involve people in resolving threats to these ecosystems.
- National Audobon Society
- Audubon's mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity.
- Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
- WDCS works to prevent suffering in individual whales, dolphins and porpoises, whether in their natural environment or in captivity; stop the deliberate killing of whales and dolphins for commercial and so-called 'scientific' purposes; stop the unnecessary deaths of cetaceans from man-made threats such as pollution or entanglement in fishing nets; prevent the extinction of endangered species and promote the recovery of all cetacean populations; secure adequate protection for - and maintain the health of - all cetacean habitats; and promote a worldwide interest in cetaceans.
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