-
Essay / Animal Extinction Essay - 966
As human beings, our population is increasing at a very rapid rate. Human interference with natural wildlife is causing the extinction rate of the animals we coexist with to skyrocket. As more humans are born, the more territory is needed to live a comfortable life, but it seems we are unaware of how our expansions across the globe are affecting the lives of native species. We endanger the lives of these animals when we recklessly flatten surrounding land and drive living animals from their natural habitats. When we feel the need to acquire more territory in order to create a suitable place for life, we destroy land already occupied by native species, thus leading to an increase in the rate of extinction. The animals' original land occupation forces them to leave the area in the hope of adapting to another plot of land. For some, this adaptation is simply impossible and species begin to disappear. In an article on Treehugger.com, the author states: “Thanks to human development and expansion, species are now disappearing exponentially faster than ever before – they are disappearing at a frightening rate, a thousand times their natural rate (Merchant 1). . As we strive to achieve these “developments,” we pollute the natural landscape with petroleum products, pesticides and other chemicals. When this happens, we endanger living species and accelerate the process of extinction due to our interference with local wildlife. As our population continues to grow, so does the amount of waste we produce. Due to the large number of humans, the majority of waste we produce is not disposed of properly and ends up contaminating the...... middle of paper ...... filled by poachers. Even the white rhino population has been hit hard by poachers seeking their priceless horns. The Los Angeles Times reported that "the world's largest surviving population of white rhinos suffered the heaviest toll on record last year when poachers killed more than a thousand of the endangered animals to supply an international market for trinkets and potions made from their horns. » (Guillaume 1). According to the WWF, the white rhino population has fallen to just twenty thousand. The worst part is that rare tusks are used to make incredibly useless products. White rhino numbers are so rare that even the culling of a thousand is a major blow to this fragile and ever-increasing population. It is truly disappointing that such a majestic species is being sacrificed due to the high demand for its rare tusks..