Why Are Animals Endangered

Endangered animals are those animals that are on the verge of extinction. A plant or an animal species is considered to be endangered when its population decreases significantly so that the species no longer can recover and faces extinction in the wild. The “International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources” (IUCN) has categorized such endangered species in the “International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List”. A species is declared extinct when there is no evidence found of its living after conducting surveys over the lifespan of the species in its natural habitat or native. There are several factors that are responsible for a species to become endangered. From human activities like destruction of natural habitat and poaching to the lack of adaptability of the species, there can be several reasons for an animal to become endangered. If you are interested to know such facts that can make an animal endangered, then read through this article carefully.

 

How Do Animals Become Endangered

Hunting And Poaching 

One of the major factors that has significantly contributed to make an animal endangered is commercial hunting. Hunters and poachers kill animals in lure of their valuable body parts to such an extent that the species population can no longer support the extensive hunting, and becomes endangered.

 

Loss of habitat is another obvious reason for animals to become endangered. Just like human beings, animals also require food, water, and shelter to survive. However, human beings are highly adaptable and can create their own shelter and can store their food which is not possible for other animals. Most animals can survive only in a particular environment, and if their natural environment is disturbed, the animals face serious threat. Moreover, some animals may need more than one habitat type and a variety of habitats near each other to survive. These animals are also on high risk of becoming endangered. For example, waterfowl needs both upland habitat to build its nest and nearby wetlands for food supplies and their broods. Thus, waterfowls are more likely to become endangered if any of its habitats is disturbed. It should be noted that animals can still become extinct even if the habitat is not destroyed completely. For example, removal of dead trees from a forest keeps the forest relatively intact. However, it can be a serious threat to certain woodpeckers that make nest only on the dead trees.

 

Animals can even become endangered if their natural habitat is disturbed by the presence of man and his machine. Disturbance can force an animal to leave its natural habitat and move to other places.

 

The environment is changing continuously as a consequence of several human activities. Many of the inventions made by man have led to different types of pollutions that have made surviving a real challenge for many animals. The rising temperature of the earth and the melting snow caps have become a serious issue for animals dwelling in the poles. While some animals have migrated to other parts, many animals who fail to adapt to the changing environment might become endangered and gradually extinct from the earth.

 

Most of the countries have now imposed regulations on uncontrolled hunting of animals to save these rare animals from becoming extinct. However, prior to introduction of these laws many animals were exploited, especially for human food and fur. Audubon's sheep is one such example that was hunted to extinction by men.