Animal Extinction as Serious Threat to Mankind

Noted Irish playwright and political activist George Bernard Shaw once said: “The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them but to be indifferent to them. That is the essence of inhumanity. But each and every animal on earth has as much right to be here as you and me” (Shaw). The main threat to animal extinction is the climate change that happens often. Animal extinction is a serious threat to mankind because when a species becomes endangered, it is a sign that the ecosystem is slowly falling apart. Each species that is lost triggers the loss of other species within its ecosystem (‘Endangered Species Coalition’). Humans depend on healthy ecosystems to purify our environment. Without healthy forests, grasslands, rivers, oceans and other ecosystems, we will not have clean air, water, or land. If we allow our environment to become contaminated, we risk our own health (‘Endangered Species Coalition’). Tens of thousands of Americans die every year from illnesses for which there is no known cure. The cures for these diseases may eventually come from plants, therefore, we must protect all species before they are lost forever from nature’s medicine cabinet (‘Endangered Species Coalition’). Animal extinction is a serious threat to mankind because it is a sign of an unhealthy ecosystem, humans require a healthy ecosystem in order to survive, and the cures for many diseases may be found in plants or animals facing extinction.

Historically, animal extinction has happened in the past and is still happening today. Beverly Stearns, a freelance writer who works primarily as a health and environment reporter, reports that “At least 31 surviving species are in imminent danger of extinction. But few species have experienced elevated rates of species loss over the past 11,000 years, and continue to be disproportionately threatened with extinction. Five major mass extinctions and about 20 minor ones have occurred over the past 540 million years” (Stearns). Larry Gilman, who has extensive healthcare experience through his work with hospitals, managed care providers, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, also has deep experience in the technology and entertainments sectors, stated, “the extinctions that occurred some 225 million years ago, at the end of the Permian period and some 65 million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous period, are particularly well known” (Gilman). The difference between our current situation and these past extinctions is that our current situation is caused by humans.

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Stewart Brand, a legend in the tech community and a life-long environmentalist, provides an example of a species that went extinct because of hunting by poachers: the passenger pigeons which were hunted for meat that was sold by the ton, and it was easy to do because when those big flocks came down to the ground, they were so dense that hundreds of hunters and netters could show up and slaughter them by the tens of thousands (Brand). These iconic birds’ population crashed from billions to zero in just fifty years. Professor Shapiro elaborated in email. “In large populations, natural selection is highly efficient. This suggests that if the environment had changed slowly as it may have after the end of the last ice age, they would be able to adapt to these changes as they did at the end of the last ice age” (Shapiro). However, in the 1800s, the passenger pigeon environment changed suddenly due to hunting because we killed millions of passenger pigeons over the course of only a few passenger pigeon generations. “The passenger pigeon probably was unable to survive in small relict populations. Their vast numbers were probably one of their most effective survival strategies. They did not die because they had very little diversity but because they suddenly found themselves living in an environment that was very different from the one to which they were adapted, still being overexploited by a highly skilled predator, and now lacking an efficient means to evolve in response to this environmental change” (Shapiro). That is why the passenger pigeons got extinct from this world.

Animals from all over the world are still endangered by poachers who hunt them for food or their skin. Larry Gilman finds, “The present mass extinction is unique in that it is being caused by a single species—ours—rather than by natural events; furthermore, biologists agree that the effects may be so profound as to threaten the human species itself” (Gilman). Patricia Medici is a Brazilian conservation biologist with a BA in Forestry Sciences from the São Paulo University, an MA in Wildlife Ecology, Conservation and Management from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, and a Ph.D. degree in Biodiversity Management from the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology in University of Kent, United Kingdom, illustrates, “Tapirs help shape and maintain biological diversity in the areas they inhabit, which can include forests, grasslands, floodplains, and even high altitude environments” (Medici). In order to save the tapirs, we need to stop the poachers who are hunting them for their meat and skin. Today, the animals are threatened by poachers, who hunt them for their meat and skins, habitat fragmentation and the pollution that’s rampant in quickly industrializing Brazil (Medici).

The threat of animal extinction is rising at a high rate and if we don’t change or make a difference by saving them, their extinction may also affect us. Patricia Medici, claims “the lives of these solitary tapirs, nocturnal creatures have remained a mystery. But threats from poachers, deforestation, and pollution is quickly industrializing Brazil. We need to learn more about the tapirs and protect them from extinction because they might help us shape and maintain our environment” (Medici). As Medici points out, when one organism is taken out of an ecosystem, that ecosystem becomes unbalanced, and the result can threaten the other animals that share the same ecosystem.

Tropical forests and other ecosystems are being destroyed, climate change, so many species on the brink of extinction: tigers, lions, elephants, rhinos, tapirs (Medici). Our planet is getting warmer. The threat of climate change is real, and our dependence on fossil fuels is the biggest contributor. Unless we make some radical changes, global temperatures will continue to rise and it will have severe consequences for humans and animals (‘One Kind Planet’). Larry Gilman noted: “Over 99.9 percent of all plant and animal species that have ever lived are now extinct. Extinction has always occurred at a fluctuating background rate” (Gilman). Experts calculate, “that between 0.01 and 0.1% of all species will become extinct each year. The rapid loss of species we are seeing today is estimated by experts to be between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate” (‘World Wide Fund for Nature’). Humans are now causing the rapid loss of species because they are responsible for almost all of the increases in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere over the last 150 years. The largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities in the United States is from burning fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation. Since 1990, gross U.S. greenhouse gas emissions have increased by 1.3 percent (‘Environmental Protection Agency’). From year to year, emissions can rise and fall due to changes in the economy, the price of fuel, and other factors (‘Environmental Protection Agency’). We can change that by using a solar car instead of fuel and choose a utility company that generates at least half its power from wind or solar also saving water reduces carbon pollution, too. That's because it takes a lot of energy to pump, heat, and treat your water. So, take shorter showers, turn off the tap while brushing your teeth, and switch to water sense labeled fixtures and appliances. That is how we can change our climate.

In conclusion, many species are at a high risk of becoming extinct if no steps are taken to protect and restore their habitats (‘Conserving Wildlife’). So, the first step to take is to know what species in your area are endangered and then you let everyone around you know so that they are able to act in a way that will not put these animals’ lives in danger (‘Conserving Wildlife’). We also need to stop cutting out trees that are home to many animals and if we cut them out, we need to make sure that we replace them as soon as we cut them down because many animals depend on trees either to protect themselves from predators or for food. Lastly, support zoos and other wildlife parks because zoos and other wildlife parks have actually done a lot to teach humans about the species and even protect them and help them to grow in population. Most people who want to protect wildlife are against animals being held in captivity, but understanding this means that you understand the importance of these places and what they do to help the situation.