Wildlife Conservation
Protecting our Wildlife
Perla C. Renteria
Photograph of the Sumatran Tiger
The science of extinction is called
dirology. Each year, more species are in
danger of going extinct and we are
taking no action in order to prevent
this rapidly growing process. Indeed,
we are helping this cause while
harming our natural environment. We
should aid this cause and help protect
our cherished wild plants and animals
for the sake of our world’s nature. It is
critically important to save our wildlife
to help repair the damage we have
done to our planet over time. If we
don’t, we might overcome the
irremediable consequences of dirology.
Some of the ways in which wild
animals are abused or exploited by
humans include sport and trophy
hunting, commercial and recreational
fur trapping, “nuisance” wildlife
control, and lethal predator control. As
of April 2014, the bornfreeusa.org
website stated that each year, more
than 2.5 million animals are killed by
the federal government on public and
private lands across the United States,
of which close to 100,000 are native
carnivores, including wolves, coyotes,
bears, foxes, and bobcats. Wild animals
are also exploited in the exotic “pet”
trade, the fur trade, and the
entertainment industry. Real or
perceived conflicts between people
and wildlife, coupled with human fear,
biases, or a lack of knowledge about
humane approaches to solving such
conflicts, results in millions of animals
being needlessly killed each year.
The Sumatran Tiger is a
critically endangered species. This
tiger subspecies is found only on the
Indonesian island of Sumatra.
According to the worldwildlife.org
website, as late as 1978, experts
estimated the population of Sumatran
tigers at 1,000, today fewer than 400
Sumatran tigers exist. Accelerating
deforestation and rampant poaching
mean this creature could end up
extinct, just like its Javan and Balinese
relatives. Sumatran tigers are losing
their habitat and prey fast, and
poaching shows no sign of decline.
Fewer natural wildlife habitat
areas remain each year. The primary
threats to the survival of wildlife in the
U.S. are habitat loss due to destruction,
fragmentation or degradation.
Preserving our wildlife has become an
increasingly important practice due to
the negative effects of human activity
on wildlife. Wildlife conservation is
the practice of protecting endangered
plant and animal species and their
habitats in order to ensure that nature
will be around for future generations
to enjoy and to recognize the
importance of wildlife and wilderness
lands to humans. (wikipedia.org, April
2014 edition)
The only question left to ask is:
Why are we destroying our planet in
such an irresponsible manner? It is a
sad fact that humanity is eradicating
every living species there once was. If
we continue like this we might just as
well never see a wild species again
within this society of carelessly
ignorant people. If we don’t do
anything to stop, or at least control,
this accelerating process of dirology,
we may see the day where we won’t
find wild animals, nor plants, which,
by the way, provide us with the oxygen
necessary to live, anymore. We should
protect our natural environment while
we still actually have one.