How can we help endangered animals?
Some of the most endangered animals in the world are those which we are unlikely to meet unless we choose to go travelling through a tropical rain forest. In terms of bio-diversity and numbers, the rain forests have traditionally teemed with colorful, intriguing, and outright mysterious animals, reptiles, birds and insect life. Today however, rain forests are themselves endangered with over 25,000 square miles per year, of a total million and a half square miles being converted to agricultural purposes, destroying the rain forest habitat forever. Around half of the total world animal species have their homes in the rain forest environment, whole communities being wiped out completely with the destruction of their habitat. Rain forest animals are also under threat from poachers. Since 1948, the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has monitored endangered species and publishes a “red list” of endangered wildlife species – take a look at the list and you will see that the question is urgent and needs to be asked – how can we help endangered animals.
As of early April this year 17,291 out of 47,677 red listed species are threatened with extinction and new species are coming into the red list each year. This reporting is treated with alarm by worldwide conservation groups such as WWF, which provides access to information to its members, on its website to the public and actively promotes conservation projects, having over 5 million supporters in more than a hundred countries.
Additional protection for endangered animals comes from the CITES 1973 convention from which 120 countries have signed a treaty on illegal trade in wildlife.
When considering the question how can we help endangered animals, there are many national and local organizations that we can join so as to help create an effective “voice” on behalf of the endangered animals of the world. Endangered animals are not limited to exotic places in other countries and by far the most effective thing that we can do to help endangered animals is to discover what animals in our own state or locality are considered under threat, and volunteer our time to help.
Many organizations actively lobby, advocate, and promote public awareness, whilst also being active in hands-on conservation efforts. By joining with others and forming a group, we can work out best answers to the problem – how can we help endangered animals?
