Animal Life Is Precious Too

As the more superior species, us humans often think and feel highly of ourselves and live a life full of drama. We whine over the smallest of things and make a big fuss out of it. In our self-absorbed world, we forget about other species on this planet that also deserve to live. Animals can’t speak to voice out their sentiments but they are also suffering from all the changes happening around us just like the rest of us.

With their natural habitat slowly disappearing and being constantly hunted by people, their life is not at all easy. Animals are at the mercy of humans. Unfortunately, we humans couldn’t care enough for our feathered and furry friends. We take over their lands and convert it into agricultural or residential developments not at all thinking that these animals lose their homes forever to civilization. All our bad practices hasten global warming and climate change that likewise worsen natural calamities. Unlike humans with their manmade shelters to protect them, animals in the wild are at the mercy of the elements and of the people.

The Endangered Species Act, passed in 1973, created a framework for protecting and recovering species in peril and the ecosystems on which they depend. Critics in Congress are pressing to rewrite the law, which they argue limits development and has failed to help many species recover.

For Endangered Species Day, we provide perspectives from biologists and social scientists on the challenges of protecting some of the rarest living things on Earth.

There are two central arguments for protecting endangered species: First, human activities are pushing many species to the brink of extinction; and second, protecting biodiversity provides us with numerous benefits.

(Via: http://www.alternet.org/environment/protecting-endangered-species-6-essential-reads)

Lots of animal species have disappeared from the face of the planet. However, protecting the wildlife and making sure they do not go extinct is easier said than done. There are various obstacles that need to be overcome aside from the monetary expense. Moreover, not all humans support this cause as many still continue poaching for wild animals even though it is strongly prohibited.

Pangolins are commercially poached because their scales can be used in traditional medicine, as fashion accessories and eaten as a high-end cuisine.

“The threat is significant and escalating,” said Flocken, who also is a member of the IUCN Pangolin Specialist Group. 

It’s impossible to know how many pangolins exist, environmentalists have said, but “due to the high demand for consumption, they are disappearing,” Flocken said. 

Pangolins most likely have vanished in China and are fast disappearing from Vietnam, Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia, wildlife experts said. In Africa, illegal trafficking is rapidly depleting their population.

(Via: http://www.latimes.com/world/global-development/la-fg-global-pangolins-vanishing-snap-story.html)

The biggest problem the wildlife faces is that many rich people equate the acquisition of these exotic and often endangered animal species as a sign of wealth and power. Many of these animals are even served as exotic delicacies that are sold at such outrageous prices.

Elephant poachers have killed two wildlife rangers in a shootout in Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, reports African Parks, a conservation group that manages 10 protected areas across Africa in partnership with governments and local communities.

While out patrolling on April 11, Ranger Joël Meriko Ari and Sergeant Gerome Bolimola Afokao of the DRC Armed Forces heard gunshots, African Parks reported. The patrol unit followed signs and tracks until they discovered a group of six poachers who were chopping up a freshly slaughtered elephant carcass.

A shootout followed, in which both Ari and Afokao were fatally shot. There were also casualties among the poachers, but details were not disclosed.

(Via: http://www.alternet.org/environment/africas-wildlife-rangers-risk-death-protecting-animals-poachers)

It seems that not all is lost yet. There are still people who genuinely care for the lives of these animals although their support comes at a cost too. It just goes to show up to what extreme these poachers are willing to do in the name of their poaching business, even killing another human being. There is still a lot of work that needs to be done and more support from humanity to uphold the lives of animals in the wild. They also deserve a chance to live long in this planet and not have their entire species wiped out because of our neglect and abuse.