Not only are elephants being targeted but other endangered species as well, such as tigers and rhinos. A full set of tiger bones can go for just over $7,000, and rhino horn goes for close to $25,000 per pound (Begley). With such astronomical prices it is easy to understand why people are willing to go to such great lengths to kill these once fruitful animals. As the number of endangered animals being poached each year rises, the total number of said animals falls. The animals are not able to repopulate quick enough in order to boost their total number.
In the wild, they typically live for 10-15 years and they may reach 20 years in captivity. The Amur leopard is the northernmost of all leopard subspecies. Its historic range extended throughout northeastern (“Manchurian”) China, the southern part of Primorsky Krai in Russia and the Korean Peninsula. This range shrank dramatically during the 20th century, due primarily to habitat loss due to human activity and hunting. Photo courtesy: Art G. / Flickr Photo courtesy: Art G. / Flickr There are various reasons the Amur leopard population is shrinking, but all can be tied back to man.
This makes them critically endangered. They are currently surviving in patches of forest across the island of Sumatran. The reason for their rapid decline is accelerated deforestation and rampant poaching. These problems have occurred before with the Sumatran Tigers’ close relatives the Balinese and Javan Tigers, which are now extinct. Many Tigers are killed in self-defence due to the increased frequency of attacks that have taken place over the last 10 years.
“A single rhino horn can fetch $30,000 on the black market” (Wheelan 23), which makes for a tumultuous trade in which more rhinos are killed only to have the price skyrocket. Here the incentive would consist of cutting of the rhino’s nose before it is poached—theoretically saving its life so that the population might stabilize and keep the cost of rhino horns from reaching epic proportions. Then again, Wheelan notes, many hornless rhinos are killed anyway because it “saves the poachers from wasting time tracking the same animal again” (Wheelan 26). Once again, the unpredictability of human behavior has all but nullified one possible incentive in favor of maximizing
If the natural order of nature is forsaken, the next generation of people will study the bones of the extinct elephant. Like the young elephants, a significant number of young American African men are in the same crisis. The elders have been slaughtered, and the next generation is participating in destructive lifestyles that could direct us into extinction. Elders are essential to a functional community. Without elders African communities in the west will continue to vanish.
1. Between 1880 and 1920, the population of the Congo was slashed in half; some ten million people were victims of murder, starvation, exposure, disease and a plummeting birth rate. Why do you believe this carnage has remained virtually unknown in the United States and Europe? Leopold became king of Belgium around the time royalty had to start worrying about Parliament and such things as voters. There was this sort of contest Erurope was going through; countries would rush to get as much African land as they could, usually going after the rich land.
Myers stated, “Deforestation in Brazil's Atlantic-coastal forest and Madagascar has been going on for several centuries, but the main damage has occurred during this century, especially since 1950, i.e., since the spread of broad-scale industrialization and plantation agriculture in Brazil and since the onset of rapid population growth in Madagascar.” (30) In agreement with Myers, Deforestation has been an ongoing environmental issue for many years. Because of ignorance, disregard, lack of values or deficient environmental laws the issue is continuing today. There are many causes of deforestation in the United States, as well as with other countries around the world. Not the least of which, is that land owners are selling their large forested acres to developers to make room for new housing
Rapid Decline in Tasmanian Devils: Devil Facial Tumor Disease Tasmanian devils are under a massive threat by the disease DFTD (Devil Facial Tumor Disease). This is a type of cancer that only affects devils, mainly older than two years, and occurs mainly on the face. This disease has caused a population decline of 80% in a mere 20 years so it is obvious why this is such a threat and needs to be dealt with. Even though this disease is only apparent in certain regions of Tasmania the affected devils can only live for one breeding cycle when the normal amount is three. Scientists fear that if too much of the adult population is killed by DFTD then the devil population will take a long time to recover.
The genocide in Darfur has claimed 400,000 lives and displaced over 2,500,000 people in camps. Also 3.5 million people are now considered hungry. More than one hundred people continue to die each day; five thousand die every month. The Sudanese government disputes these estimates and denies any connection with the Janjaweed militia. It is assumed that the hundreds of rapes reported and treated are not even close to the actual number committed, as victims of rape in Darfur are often too scared or too ashamed to seek help.
The humpback whale and North Atlantic right whale are the top two that you may see in New Jersey waters though other whales may migrate there. These whales are large and move slowly. The whaling industry banned these endangered whales from being hunted when they saw the numbers decline. The whales are still at risk for death by getting tangled in fishing nets and colliding with ships or boats that are fishing, exploring for oil and whale watching. Indiana Bat The Indiana Bat has been on the endangered species list for New Jersey for over 40 years.