Unless you have just emerged from that rock you have been under you may already know that there are certain species of animal & plants that are on there way to extinction due to human interference. Some of these animals are going extinct due to over hunting, over hunting of prey, loss of habitat or all three and some of these plants are going extinct due to loss of habitat, contaminators put into the soil by local farming and change in climate. This would not be so surprising if this kind of behavior was occurring around non-endangered species but this is happening to species that have been labelled as protected! So now it is time too show example of animals and plants that need further protection.
1The Pacific Yew
The Pacific Yew is a listed endangered tree that was originally thought to be a “junk” tree (burned after clear cutting) but recent research on the tree has uncovered that a compound in its bark has promising treatments for ovarian and breast cancer. If this development had not been uncovered as soon as it did, this development may not have occurred at all.
2Shrill Carder Bee
I don’t think I need to stress the importance of bees in our society and Ecosystem but for all you people who have emerged from that rock; bees are a critical part of our ecosystem. Without bees vast parts of our ecosystem would die which would have an indirect effect on other ecosystems. Let’s say for example all the shrill carder bees where completed wiped out, there would be certain plant species who would find it very difficult to reproduce without these bees and therefore die out, these plants would no longer be able to feed a herbivore species and these animals would die out and then the carnivore species would have no prey and these would die out. As you can see, bees play a vital role in our ecosystem and we must do our best to protect and preserve them.
3Wild Bactrian Camels
An important factor to note with the Bactrian Camels is that they have two humps not one and are in the Gobi desert of Mongolia and China rather than the golden sands of the Sahara (a little off topic but if you ever get the chance to go to the Sahara, take it!). Their numbers are currently under the 1000 mark and although these wild Bactrian Camels do not offer travel to humans, on a massive scale, we do owe this animals a debt. For countless years they allowed the people of Mongolia and the surrounding areas to navigate the harsh rocky desert in search of water and food and without that species being in that exact place there at that exact time humans would not have lived in that area at that time and maybe not even populated that area today!
4The Gray Wolf
If we owe a debt to the Bactrian Camel then the Gray Wolf is about to break the bank! For thousands of year wolves have helped us hunt, guarded us while we slept, protected our children and, to top it all off, where loyal companions. And before you say that was other wolves not the gray wolf, well the domestic dog is a direct subspecies of the gray wolf. I believe we must make an effort to stop the over hunting of these majestic creatures who we have had a relationship with for 33,000 years.
5The Red Panda
The Red Panda is a wickedly cute animal that is sure to produce a tear from even the most hardened men if it where to go extinct. And even the computer geeks will shed a tear for the animal that was the inspiration for the, let’s face it, awesome Firefox logo. This animal is going extinct due to loss of habitat and poaching also more commonly known as human interference.
In this list there is a tree that possesses wonderful medicinal properties, a bee that literally fuels entire ecosystems, an animal that has transported man for thousands of years, an animal that has been mans’ best friend for 33,000 years and an animal that makes you melt a little on the inside but in reality there are thousands of endangered animals who may not have such a case for being saved but doesn’t every species deserve a fair chance?