WHY ARE THEY DYING OUT?

1. When there are only a small number of a species left in the world, it is called endangered. These species could disappear from the planet and become extinct. `Extinct` means an animal hasn’t been seen in the wild for 50 years. Today in total 762 plant and animal species are recorded as extinct.

2. 12,259 species are decreasing in nature so they are threatened to some extent, including mammals, birds, reptiles, insects and fish. The great apes of Africa and Asia could be close to extinction in the wild. Many kinds of animals are seen less now. One of the world’s largest freshwater fish is the Mekong giant catfish. It’s up to three meters long. Their numbers have dropped by 80 percent in just 13 years because of humans. If this goes on, it will soon disappear from the world. There are now less than 1,000 pandas left in the wild. A hundred years ago there were 100,000 tigers in the wild, now there are less than 7,000. Three types of tiger, the Bali, Caspian and Javan tiger, have already become extinct. The South China tiger is trying hard to survive in nature. Finally, there used to be millions of koalas in Australia. Now there are less than 100,000. These are just some examples of the animals whose numbers have decreased.

3. There are several things people can do to help these animals. They can support conservation organizations like the World Wildlife Fund, UNEP, and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. Also, they could adopt an animal at their local zoo which would pay for its being fed.

4. In 1985 many countries joined together to ban whaling because some types were on the verge of extinction, but Japan and Norway still hunt them for food. Iceland has now started whaling again after 14 years. Organizations like the World Wildlife Fund and Born Free, campaign to save animals which are under threat. Some governments have passed laws to stop certain animals from being hunted.

5. Pollution, chopping down rainforests and building all affect animal habitats which means they have nowhere to live and nothing to eat. Another big problem is humans introducing new plants and animals on to small islands. This can result in older species being wiped out. Buying and selling some exotic animals like crocodiles for their skins is illegal in many places but people still do it.