THE DANGERS OF WILDLIFE ENDANGERMENT

The powerful and majestic beings that were the Eastern cougar (Puma concolor couguar)

and Formosan clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa brachyuran)

were both declared extinct this year, after 10 years of being listed as critically endangered.

The Western black rhino (Diceros bicornis longipes) was listed as critically endangered in 2009, too, and within two years, their whole population disappeared because of continuous illegal poaching. Most illegal hunters target their horns, which are commonly used as Chinese medicine.

In the oceans, creatures are also suffering. Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) were noted to be vulnerable to endangerment back in 2009, but leaped fast to being critically endangered in 2019. Even the Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) suffered a sudden decline in numbers and have been noted endangered by the IUCN in 2017.

Human activities resulting in loss of habitat, overexploitation, and pollution are the main causes of animal life endangerment. World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) living planet report in 2018 showed that there was a 60% decline in animal population in just over 40 years. If the wildlife population drastically declines continuously, it will cause not just a stir in social media, but also global chaos.

Animals – all species and kinds – play a vital part in the ecosystem. Author Brianna Smith once reported that, “Everything would fall apart if something as major as all animal kind went extinct.”