Endangered species

1. Endangered species ONLY WHEN THE LAST TIGER HAS BEEN KILLED ONLY WHEN THE LAST TREE HAS BEEN CUT DOWN ONLY WHEN THE LAST SPECIES HAS BEEN EXTINCT ONLY THEN WILL WE FIND THAT MONEY CANNOT BE EATEN… Some species of plants and animals die out naturally because newer species are more successful at competing for food and living space. Others have become extinct because of changes in the planet or because of natural disasters. Dinosaurs, for example, may have died out because the climate became cooler--maybe because an asteroid collided with the earth and caused a big cloud of dust that blocked out the sun. In today's world, however, species mostly become extinct or are threatened with extinction because of humans. Humans hunt animals, destroy their habitats, and introduce other animals that prey upon the endangered animals or compete for their resources. The accelerating rate at which species are becoming endangered and perishing cannot be reversed unless we reduce our pressures on wildlife & wild habitats `-

2. DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY SPECIES ARE AT THE VERGE OF EXTINCTION? It is estimated that about 125 species of birds and 60 species of mammals have become extinct since 1600. Currently, there are approximately 1000-1100 species of birds and mammals that are facing extinction. If invertebrates and plants are included, the total number of species in imminent danger is around 20,000. Five of them are as follow: 1. Black Rhino: This creature that used to be found commonly in Southern and east Africa, has in the last 4 decades almost disappeared. There are barely around three thousand of them in the World today. The Black rhino is killed most importantly for its horns 2. Giant Panda The Giant, one of the cutest animals on the planet, is very close to the extinction mark, with roughly around a thousand being seen in their native habitat in China The main reason for their disappearance is habitat loss and poaching.

3. 3. Tiger: One of the most regal creatures of the forest is the tiger, which was quite a regular sighting in Southeast Asia and in the Russian Far East. Today lesser than six thousand of them exist. The biggest problem that tigers come across is that of poaching for body parts and use in traditional Asian Medicines. 4.Green cheeked parrot: This beautiful species of parrot is well known for being able to mimic human voices. Found earlier in plenty in Mexico, this bird today is almost at the brink of extinction because of the high demand for them as pets. While they are not allowed to be sold legally, the Green-Cheeked Parrots are still sold across the border. ENDANGERED SPECIES Goldenseal ( Hydrastis canadensis): It is a perennial herb, native to southeastern Canada & the northeastern U.S. It may be distinguished by its thick, yellow knotted rootstock. The plant bears two palmate, hairy leaves with 5–7 double-toothed lobes and single, inconspicuous flower. It bears a single berry like a large raspberry with 10–30 seeds in the summer.

4. NOW THE QUESTIONS ARISE THAT WHAT ARE THE REASONS BEHIND THEIR ENDANGERENMANT & HOW THEY CAN BE PRESERVED? Lets study each case broadly under the above mentioned two categories. Come lets start our journey into animal ‘world’. Journey begins ……. TIGER • The tiger (Panthera tigris), one of the world's most beautiful and revered animals, stands near the brink of extinction. Since the turn of the century, its habitat and numbers have been reduced by up to 95 per cent. Reasons behind this are: • Illegal Hunting for Medicinal Trade • China's Growing Demand • Weak Law Enforcement • Poaching and Habitat Loss • The Genetic Threat • Impact of Catastrophes • Extinction of national animal, extinction of nationality…Tiger Extinction - Only 3,200 Left SAVE TIGER SAVE ENVIRONMENT

5. How to save Tigers ? • Hunting and poaching of tigers should be banned. • Strict enforcement of laws & punishment to guilty. • Deforestation should be banned to provide proper habitat to the species. • Governmental & non governmental agencies should come forward to save tiger. • Wildlife sanctuaries & reserves must be set up to protect the endangered one. There are 39 tiger reserves in India. The largest is the Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve of Andhra Pradesh. Two of them are: PROJECT TIGER 1972 Tiger project is to ensure maintenance of a viable population of tigers in India for scientific, economic, aesthetic, cultural and ecological values.

6. THE JOURNEY NOW SHIFTS TO ANOTHER ENDANGERED SPECIES :Today, all five species of rhinos are perilously close to extinction. The rate of their decline is truly astounding: in the decade of the 1970s alone, half the world'srhino population disappeared. Today, less than 15 per cent of the 1970 population remains, an estimated 10,000 to 11,000 worldwide. Reasons behind this are:1. Poaching for their hornes.2. Overexploitation and habitat loss.3. Change in climatic conditions.4. Weak enforcement of laws.5. Genetic and demographic factors.Female Western black rhino, “Sopen”, shot in August 1996, was one of the last representatives of the Western African black rhinos in the world.The ban on trade in rhino horns has not been successful. A thriving black market in rhino horn has continued.FACT: Rhino horn is NOT a remedy for fever, pain, arthritis, convulsions, or any other medical condition. Rhino horn does not cure cancer or devil possession – and it is not aphrodisiac. BLACK RHINO RHINO HORNS NO MEDICINE

7. How to save Black rhino?The black rhino is a formidable herbivore. It inhabits bush country with thick cover, grasslands, or open forest, where it browses on a wide variety of plants. Its extinction could led to lots of environmental problems.It’s been said that desperate times call for desperate measures.  Hegel said that, “Amid the pressure of great events, a general principle gives no help.”To lessen the loss to environment because of decrease in rhino population &to regulate the rhino species in future following steps must be taken:1. Trade Regulation 2. Protected Areas and Armed Guards 3.Dehorningto provide no cause of killing them4. Strict enforcement of law & punishment to the guilty.5. Set up rhino reserves.SAVE BEFORE WE ARE GONE FOREVER- Black rhino

8. GOLDEN SEAL Wildgoldenseal is now so rare that the herb is listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. The causes of its extinction are: • Goldenseal is in serious danger due to overharvesting & also • due to Habitat destruction. 2. One other aspect is TRADING. 3. More than 60 million goldenseal plants are picked each year without being replaced. The process of mountain top removal for mining has recently put the wild goldenseal population at major risk. 4. Slash and burn agriculture is other fact. FACTS: From the 1970s onward, goldenseal has been among the most popular Native American herbs. It has been estimated that upwards of 250,000 pounds of goldenseal root is sold each year. Also, poorer classes of people collected the roots during times of economic hardship. Being a minor commodity, factors would arise that would consume the entire supply in one season, causing shortages .

9. HOW TO SAVE GOLDEN SEAL? One of the biggest concerns that is raised about global warming is the query “if human beings themselves are incapable of facing the consequences of this awful truth, what happens to the innocent, option-less animals?” so following methods must be taken to save them. • Governmental & non governmental agencies should come forward to save goldenseal. one such example is CITES.- (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), an international agreement between governments. • Deforestation should be banned to provide proper habitat to the species. • Strict enforcement of laws and punishment to guilty. • Practices like slash & burn should be banned.

10. LETS STUDY THE NEXT ANIMAL ON OUR LIST: With fewer than 3,600 of them left in the wild as of 2010, giant pandas are classified as an endangered species on the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Animals. Reasons behind their extinction are: Illegal hunting & poaching. Short breeding season & low reproductive rate. Limited food availability. Destruction of habitat due to deforestation. ONE EXTINCTION LEADS TO SEVERAL ENDANGEREMENT GIANT PANDA #2 MOST ENDANGERED SPECIES FACT: It all started when lowlands from Myanmar through northern Vietnam and much of eastern and southern China were used for farming and the bamboo forest were cut down drastically, due to which pandas had to move away from these areas. Later in the year 1980, most of the bamboo forest died out; wherein over 150 pandas were starve to death.

11. HOW TO SAVE GIANT PANDA? We believe that together, we can make a difference! The Giant Panda has captured the hearts of people around the world and become an enduring symbol of conservation efforts to save endangered species. One of the favorite attractions at zoos, the panda is extremely rare. Following steps can contribute a lot in saving pandas: • Dietary Intervention & in-captivity breeding • Reforesting habitat • Reproductive support • Continued research and monitoring. • Patrolling against poaching, illegal logging and encroachment PANDAS ARE PRECIOUS HELP THEM ! The problem is the current speed at which species are disappearing. Some experts estimate the rate to be between 100 and 1,000 times higher than the expected natural cycle

12. NEXT ON THE LINE OF OUR JOURNEY IS: GREEN CHEEKED PARROT This beautiful species of parrot is also facing the danger of extinction as a result of which the number of parrot left are less than 3000. Reason behind that are: 1. Hunting and trapping led to the extinction. 2. Trading especially in American countries. 3. Loss of natural habitat & environment. 4. Weak law enforcement. 5. Genetic & demographic factors. FACT: 34% of parrot species are endangered because of trading purpose. We are part of Nature as a whole whose order we follow. ButModern man no longer regards Nature as being in any sense divine and feels perfectly free to behave towards her as an overwhelming conqueror and tyrant.

13. How to protect green cheeked parrot? Found earlier in plenty in Mexico, this bird today is almost at the brink of extinction because of the high demand for them as pets. Throwing money at the problem of wildlife extinctions is meaningless unless real effort is made to restore habitat and eliminate current threats. A collapse of our ecosystems is not "only" about loss of iconic wildlife, forever, but indicative of the weakening of our ecosystems - that we all depend on. Steps to save parrot species: 1. Strict enforcement of laws. 2. Trade regulations. 3. Protected areas and armed guards. 4. NGO’s must come forward to save parrot species. REMEMBER: Extinction is forever, and each loss means we lose a species with intrinsic value, and we have a weakening of our life-support system.

14. EFFECTS OF EXTINCTION ON THE ENVIRONMENTWhen you remove one element from a fragile ecosystem, it has far reaching and long lasting effects on biodiversity. This impacts on local communities, habitats and other species which share the HOME with them. It leds to:1. Loss of ecotourism opportunities2. Negative impacts for human welfare & economic development 3. Co extinction of other species4. Climate change5. Another species will be exploited.REMEMBER:you have not bought this earth from your forefathers, you have borrowedit from your children.WAKE UP BEFORE…ITS TOO LATE work TODAY for a better TOMORROW

15. CONSERVE THE EARTH SAVE THE ENDANGERED "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judgedby the way its animals are treated."The havoc created by we humans is resulting in deterioration of earth. So now the time has come to think seriously and join hands for the sake of nature and our debt towards it. Hope alone can’t do anything until it gets an initiative. Remember IF NOT YOU, THEN WHO IF NOT NOW, THEN WHEN IF NOT HERE, THEN WHERE So, it is the time of action. As a citizen of earth we must pledge our devotion to Save mother earth for a beautiful today and better tomorrow. CLOCK IS STRICKING FAST, TOO FAST…. AND YOUR TIME STARTS NOW!