Evelyn Leyva
2nd Hour
12/2/13
Leave the animals alone.
“What is a fish without a river? What is a bird without a tree to nest in? What is an
Endangered Species Act without any enforcement mechanism to enforce their habitats is
protected? It is nothing.” (Inslee 1)
Inslee is right about the quote he said about endangered animals. Just leave the animals
alone. The Endangered Species Act of 1973 makes a good point. The point of the ESA
(Endangered Species Act) is to protect and recover imperiled species. There is so much history
about the Endangered Species Act of 1973 if it wasn’t for that then the animals would’ve been
dead by now.
Timeline about the Endangered Species Act: Pre-1970
1903: President Theodore Roosevelt establishes the first National Wildlife Refuge at
Pelican Island, Florida, to protect wood storks, brown pelicans, and other dwindling water birds.
(Today, national wildlife refuges support nearly 300 endangered and threatened plant and animal
species.)
1914: The passenger pigeon, once the most abundant bird in North America, and perhaps
the world, becomes extinct.
1916: The United States and Great Britain (on behalf of Canada) adopted a uniform
system of protection for certain species of birds that migrate between the United States and
Canada. On July 3, 1918, the United States passed the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to implement
the treaty.
1944: The whooping crane population reaches its lowest population level, with only 21
birds remaining.
1962: Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring warns of impacts on wildlife and people from
unregulated pesticide use.
1966: Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966 authorizes land acquisition to
conserve “selected species of native fish and wildlife.”
1969: Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969 expands on the 1966 act,
authorizing the compilation of a list of animals “threatened with worldwide extinction” and
prohibits their importation without a permit. Crustaceans and mollusks are included for
protection, along with mammals, fish, birds, and amphibians.
1973: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES) - 80 nations sign this treaty to protect designated plant and animal species by regulating
or prohibiting international trade in certain taxa except by permit.
1973: Endangered Species Act of 1973 supersedes earlier endangered species acts,
broadens and strengthens protection for all plant as well as animal species listed by the U.S. as
threatened or endangered, prohibits take and trade without a permit, requires Federal agencies to
avoid jeopardizing their survival, and requires actions to promote species recovery. The ESA
defines an “endangered species” as any species in danger of extinction throughout all or a
significant portion of its range.” A “threatened” species is one likely to become endangered
within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.” The ESA has
become one of the most effective tools in the continuing effort to protect imperiled species and
their habitats in the U.S. (fws.gov)
Enough talking about the time line. Now it’s time to talk about the most important
endangered animals I picked out. This first one is a Geometric Tortoise. The geometric tortoise
lives in Western Cape, South Africa. The geometric tortoise is endangered because the people in
Western Cape, South Africa eat their eggs instead of letting them hatch. On the other side of
Western Cape is a located inhabitant, who look and search for eggs. Another name for the
geometric tortoise is psammobates geometricus. The geometric tortoise name gets it from the
yellow star patterns and the dark brown background of its shell. The geometric tortoise family
name is Testudinidae.
The geometric tortoise is not a very large turtle the measuring average is 12 to 15 cm.
The head and limb of the turtle are decorated with a light stripping on a darker background. The
geometric tortoise only eats leaves, flowers, and grass that are their diet to eat. Many people
don’t know how badly a wild tortoise suffers when people take it out of its habitat, and take it
home as a pet. How can a tortoise live in Mediterranean climate with wet winters and hot, dry
summer?