Firstly, what exactly is extinction? The term extinct refers to a specific animal or plant species that has died out. As we all know, humans have caused the extinction of many animals. But how exactly? Humans cause the extinction of animals through several direct and indirect interference with animals and their environment. This has been going on for billions of years. The first prominent example of an animal to go extinct from human-driven extinction is the dodo bird. The dodo bird is largely regarded as a fat lazy bird and that is told to be the reason for their extinction. However, the species was actually a fast and athletic bird.
dodo bird
So what is the reason for their extinction? They went extinct in the late 1600s, less than 100 years after humans settled on the island of Mauritius. Humans came with a tendency for hunting, habitat destruction, and the release of invasive species. However, although humans were the main cause of the dodo birds’ extinction they were not the only problem. The dodo bird was flightless, slow to reproduce, and confined to a single island. That being said, they were surviving just fine before the humans came and swiftly wiped the dodo bird from the face of the Earth. Although the dodo is the first major human-driven extinction, the data on human-driven extinction is only reliable as far back as about 125,000 years. Even before that it’s possible we were already pushing animals’ limits to the brink of extinction.
Human extinction does not stop there. 96% of mammal extinction is caused by humans. One prime example of this is the extinction of the wild Blue Spix Macaw. This bird is widely known since the cartoon movie Rio came out.
Blue Spix Macaw
The population loss is due to habitat destruction and illegal trapping and trading. However, experts are reintroducing the macaws into their natural habitats in hopes of bringing back the wild population. Another example of human-driven extinction is several types of rhinos. They were hunted to extinction for their horns, believed to have medicinal purposes. However, this has been proved false by medical experts. 15 ocean species have gone extinct in the last 100 years and 72 more are on the verge of extinction. Experts say human activities are to blame. Pollution, farming, and deforestation are destroying natural habitats. Carbon emissions are causing the oceans to warm and unexpected rates. Humans have deformed “75% of all land and 40% of marine environments” (Woodward)
Some things you can do to help endangered species are to visit a national park or wildlife refuge. Those places provide a home for hundreds of species. Another thing you can do is educate yourself on endangered species. You can also try to buy more sustainable products. Although they may seem small, all these things can make a difference. In my opinion, endangered animals are a serious problem, and more steps need to be taken to help.
Discussion Questions:
- Is there anything you can think of that you can change in your daily life that could help with animal extinction?
- Why is it important that people become aware of the animal extinction problem and do something about it?
Citations
Bryce, Emma. “What’s the First Species Humans Drove to Extinction?” LiveScience, Purch, 14 Oct. 2020, https://www.livescience.com/first-human-caused-animal-extinction.html.
“Recently Extinct Animals: List of Extinct Species 2021✔️.” SafarisAfricana, 8 May 2021, https://safarisafricana.com/recently-extinct-animals/.
Woodward, Aylin. “These 15 Ocean Species Have Already Gone Extinct. A Dozen Others Will Probably Disappear in Our Lifetime.” Business Insider, Business Insider, https://www.businessinsider.com/ocean-animals-that-went-extinct-species-threatened-2019-6.
Yaun, Caroline. “10 Ways You Can Help Endangered Animals.” Wild Animal Health Fund, 28 Apr. 2022, https://wildanimalhealthfund.org/2021/03/10-ways-you-can-help-endangered-animals/.
3 Comments
Rebecca · November 2, 2022 at 1:44 pm
It’s important that people become aware of animal extinction and do something about it because animals are very important to ecosystems and the food chain. This means if one animal goes extinct then it could cause the animals that depended on it for food to also go extinct.
Grace G · November 3, 2022 at 3:28 pm
I think becoming aware is very important. Without awareness, there is no realization. With this cause, especially awareness is very important to help take action. Without it, extinction will just grow bigger and bigger. Extinction is a cycle once one animal is affected many others are as well. Becoming aware is the first step to fixing this problem.
Araceli L · January 5, 2023 at 7:07 pm
Animals contribute in ways that we cannot fully comprehend to the health of the planet, thus it is crucial that people recognize this and take action. Without them, we might not be able to survive because of all that they do for us. Animals aid in pollination, pest control, climatic regulation, food production, medication use, and other processes. Animals help us in a wide variety of ways. The food chain gets smaller as more species become extinct, but it also has an impact on other animals, including humans. If bees became extinct, we would no longer benefit from their pollination, which would cause our crops and flowers to weaken and stop growing as quickly as they once did.
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