Threats to wildlife

Every day the lives of plants and animals are increasingly in danger - mostly because of human interference. The main threat to wildlife today is loss of habitat as a result of humans´ changing. Many years ago, large areas of the world were covered by forests, where millions of different species of plants and animals lived. Today these forests are much smaller because people burn the forests and cut down the trees for farmland and housing. Many sorts animals and plants now haven´t place to live. Today many species are rare, but some animals have become extinct in the past few years, for example Balinese tiger - extinct by 1952, Tasmanian wolf - extinct by 1936.

The other main threats to wildlife is pollution. Traffic fumes, oil slicks, acid rain, litter, and chemicals threaten the lives of many plants and animals. When we spray crops with chemicals, a certain amount of the chemical stays on the plant. If an animal feeds on the crops, the chemical enters its body. If an animal is eaten by another, chemicals concentrated in its body. This is called a pollution pyramid. Many animals die as a result of chemical crop spraying.

Many plants and animals are in threats of extinction because people have hunted and killed them for food and for sport. People like hunting and collecting animals and plants for their fur, skin, horns, meat, and sometimes simply for their beauty. Today it is illegal to hunt whales, big cats, rhinoceroses, and many other species of animals. It is also illegal to dig up plants from the wild in many areas. Many parts of the world people have set up special wildlife parks and reserves to help plants and animals of danger. In these areas, many species are able to live in their natural habitats. Now there are founded some famous national parks and wildlife reserves around the world - Yellowstone Park in North America, Salonga Reserve in Zaire, Galapagos Islands in South America, Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada, Uluru National Park in Australia…

The people established organizations for the conservation of nature and protection of wildlife. These organizations collect conservation information all over the world and they work to stop the trade in animal products, and to save plants and animals from extinction.

Some of the best-known international organizations are: Greenpeace in England, World Wide Fund For Nature in England, World Society For The Protection Of Animals in England, International Fund For Animal Welfare in England.