Animal extinction

RELEVANCE

Animal extinction

There used to be a time in the United States when passenger pigeons flew in such huge flocks they
would fill the sky. But at the turn of the 20th century they disappeared from the wild due to hunting,
and eventually, the last pigeon living in a zoo died. When a life form can no longer pass down its
own species, that species is said to be extinct

The largest concentration of tigers is found in India. There are around 3,500 tigers
worldwide, out of which 1,400 inhabits in India. Bad news is that only 11% of the original
Indian tigers habitats are left as they are subject to continuous hunting or poaching.
Referring to the 2008 survey which was conducted in India, there is a 60% decline in the
tigers population since 1973. It follows that the main reason for this much reduction was
poaching at an extreme level.

Many plants (and, I suppose, animals) that go extinct due to wholesale habitat
destruction are edible and could be sustainably harvested. I don't know why we
feel the need to let ten plants account for 80% of our crops. There are many
plants found in native environments that could be manipulated to produce higher
yields and grow better in those environments.

Other products are also made with natural resources.

Even humble seaweeds have half a dozen uses in products we use every day:
"plastics, polishes, paints, deodorants,
Detergents, dyes, fire-extinguishing foams, lubricants, meat preservatives, to
name a few among
Hundreds of products." (http://www.natureserve.org/consI...)
So who knows what we might be missing when we lose any more species?

Animal extinction

Innumerable other medicines have been and can be developed from plant
products, but many of these plants could go extinct before we can ever
discover this. The neem tree of India alone has hundreds of uses.

Animal extinction

Animal extinction

Endangered animals are species that are under the threat of extinction. When an animal or species
is termed endangered, they are either disappearing fast from the face of the planet or are very
sparsely populated, not good enough for survival of the animal community in the long run. The IUCN
has a list of endangered species, which is called the Red List. The list serves as a guide and
determines the level of danger an animal community is under.

When you kill off a species or a population, you forever change the habitat and
ecosystem it was living in. Plants and animals it may have preyed on now have less
pressure on them and can grow more. Flowers they may have pollinated will have to
hope they are generalised enough to attract other pollinators, or else they will go extinct
as well. In other words, there are untold and untellable consequences of
extinguishing populations and species.
And thats just talking about effects with practical value. For the examples I named
above, here are how biodiversity loss can affect us directly:

A bottleneck can happen whenever a pathogen hits an agricultural plantation.

Understanding the evolutionary history of a population and species is extremely important for
a field like epidemiology its how we can trace the origin of pathogenic viruses and
bacteria, and knowing their evolutionary histories helps us design drugs that are effective
even in case of mutation. None of this would be possible if we suddenly have a gap in the
patogens evolutionary history, the gap being a vector or temporary host that we killed off and
have no data for.
Genetic diversity for domestication is obvious its where we get the preferable traits.
In the case of predators and herbivores, how would you like it if ladybirds went extinct and all
your crops get eaten by aphids?
Similarly, if bees are gone, we wont reach our previous levels of agriculture, because while
there are other pollinators, bees are by far the most productive.
And for specialised flowers, for every specialised insect you kill, you can say goodbye to the
orchid it pollinated.

Point is, loss of biodiversity isnt just something hippies care about. Its not just a love of
nature and its beauty (although that is, for me and all other biologists I know, the
number one factor). Loss of biodiversity has a tangible effect on you and your lifestyle.
You may not feel it now. But neither does the lobster when hes first put in the pot.

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Observations
There was a time when India was home for some of the most beautiful wild animals, Due to
excessive hunting and poaching for sport and body parts by man, these wild animals have
become extinction. Some of the wild species are on the brink of extinction and some of them
are already extinction such as Dangs Giant Squirrel and Aldabra banded snail. Critically
endangered species in India are the Great cats,one Horne rhinoceros,Ganges river
dolphins,Purple frog,birds species such as Himalayan Quail,Great Indian Bustard and
Indian Horn-bill and many small mammals.The Indian government is planning a re-wilding
project for Cheetahs.

Animal extinction

DESCRIPTION OF METHOD FOLLOWED

Captive Breeding
Animal specialists at zoos all around the world are paying special attention to animals from
endangered species. Working with conservation groups, tiger specialists are researching
tiger nutrition, health, and reproduction and zoo facilities and management so that zoo
tigers will breed future generations of healthy cubs.
Conservation Breeding Specialist Groups and zoos are cooperating internationally in
captive-breeding programs such as GASP (Global Animal Survival Plan). Some captive-bred
tigers have been released into the wild. Although these programs do not prevent habitat
encroachment, captive breeding is important for maintaining a reservoir of genetic material
on tigers.
Zoos provide insurance against such long-term threats as genetic deterioration that could
affect the small populations of tigers left in fragmented reserves.
Participate in the solution. Your awareness and support is a vital part of the effort to save
the wild tiger from extinction. Wildlife conservation groups and tiger specialists are working
hard to preserve and protect tiger habitat, but their efforts will fail without adequate
resources. It is very expensive to monitor reserves and enforce anti-poaching laws.
For example, it would cost approximately $15 million a year to adequately protect the tigers
in Indias reserves. It is imperative that we protect the tiger: it will not survive on its own.

Animal extinction

PROPOSED METHODOLOGY

Identify and monitor high priority tiger populations on which immediate conservation
efforts should be focused. To survive in the wild, tigers need large areas of habitat with
sufficient water to drink, animals to eat, and vegetative cover for hunting. Optimal tiger
habitat includes a core area of at least 1,000 square kilometers that is free from most human
activities.
Smaller areas are more limited in prey and are less likely to ensure the future stability of the
tiger population. Scientists can locate key tiger populations by surveying habitats that meet
the long-term ecological requirements of tigers. Specialists must also improve research
methods of gathering vital information on tiger behavior and ecology for the development of
long-term solutions.
Manage key tiger habitat for the protection of tigers. On-the-ground protection is essential
to protect tigers from poachers seeking tiger parts for the lucrative market in traditional
Chinese medicine. Enforcement officers, park guards and staff need to be hired, funded,
organized, trained, equipped and legally empowered to protect the tiger from illegal
hunters, day and night.
Develop community-based sustainable development and conservation programs. In most
situations, the participation and collective action of individual rural households, whose
livelihoods depend on use of the forests where tigers live, is essential to sustain an effective
tiger conservation strategy. Local institutions, government departments, non-governmental
organizations, conservation groups and banks can work with communities to develop local
economic enterprises that depend on alternative resources.
Eco-development (ecologically-sensitive development) must be combined with
educational conservation programs that inform, empower and inspire local communities to
participate in the protection of the tiger. It is also important to educate consumers around
the world that conservation efforts at home help reduce the demand for natural resources
abroad.

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CONCLUSION

Life has been here much longer that Homo sapiens as a species and will be here long after
we're gone. Why mess with it?
Extinction is most likely to occur in specialized species, which are more efficient at what
they do, while the species that fill their niches are usually not so efficient. Ecosystems are
complex webs that usually maintain some kind of homeostasis, but removing some species
could throw them off balance. This would make our own existence that much more
precarious, as well.

We can't do biological research well without biological diversity. Ecologists rely on the
ability to study specific ecosystems as a means to understand general characteristics of
ecosystems, but this doesn't work if their diversity has been artificially reduced by
humans.

Habitat for wildlife is under threat across the world. Endangered

animals from Asia to Africa, from Europe to South America, are increasingly
finding their very survival hanging by a thread. If we want to save the earth, in all
its wonderful diversity and richness, then it is vital that we take collective and
international action now

What needs to be done about these endangered animals or monkeys is that more awareness should be
spread so that everyone can join hands in promoting and protecting them. The government should also
support the proposals that would increase the funding for endangered species. Ordinary people can
come together to contribute and support various groups that engages in supporting and preserving
endangered animals like elephants, primates and other rare animals.