Recently, I came across a news article. The Northern White Rhinoceros which survived 55 million years on the earth and saw the ice age, numerous earthquakes, meteor strikes, could not survive humans. The great beast is now extinct! Sudan, the last male Northern White Rhinoceros died in 2018 leaving only two female Northern White Rhinoceros in the world. The main reason for the extinction of this animal was poaching. Poaching has decimated this population and loss of habitat also derived the rhinoceros to the brink of extinction.
Northern White Rhinoceros
Animal extinction is one of the most serious issues of our modern life. Though animals are way stronger than humans, they are facing their extinction due to human activities. Wild animals are known for their toughness. They have evolved for thousands of years, have developed features like thick for strong teeth and bone for their survival. But humans are taking advantages of these features by killing them and selling them. However, strict laws have been enforced by the government to stop these type of activities.
The main reason for animal extinction is loss of habitat. Due to rapidly increasing human population, there is an increase in urbanization and industrialization. As a result of this, deforestation takes place. When forests are cleared off, animals lose habitat which in turn threaten their survival. Over exploitation is also one of the main reasons for animal extinction. Hunting, poaching, overfishing can result in loss of large number of animals. Ofcourse there are a lot of other natural reasons for animal extinction, but we, as humans, should try our best to save animals.
There has been an average 68% drop in global population sizes of amphibians, birds, fish, mammals and reptiles between 1970 and 2016, according to the World Wildlife Fund(WWF)’s Living Planet Report 2020. More than one million species are now at risk of extinction. As scientists estimate, we are currently losing species 1,000-10,000 times faster than before, which means that literally tens of species are vanishing from the face of the Earth every day. At this rate, almost one third to one-half of all species could become extinct by 2050.
World without animals is unimaginable. Losing animals can lead us to the extinction also. We must act now, before it's too late. Though scientists, environmentalists are trying hard to save them, we, as individuals, should try our best to protect them. We should try to be more eco-friendly. Animals have equal rights as much as we have. We should always remember that man is a part of nature, not it's master!
