Human’s Role in Endangering Animals

Millions of years before humans, extinction of living things was linked to geological and climatic changes, the effects of which were translated into major alternation of the environment. Environmental changes are still the primary causes of the extinction of animals, but now the changes are greatly accelerated by humans' activity. Governments, big businesses and even individuals are directly responsible of endangering hundreds of animal species. Although some measures are being taken to help specific cases of endangerment, the universal problem cannot be solved until more serious steps are taken towards limiting humans' interference in animals' natural life.

Governments bear a major responsibility in harming animals not only by producing industrial waste and poisoned gases but also by introducing alien species into habitats. In fact, pollution accelerated by new industrial revolution is one of the most dangerous threats to animals' life. Many species of salamanders in New England, for example, are dying out because the ponds in which they breed and the moist soil in which they must live are watered by acid rain. Moreover, global mean temperature has already risen as a result of greenhouse gas emissions, and major changes in the fauna and flora are inevitable consequences. Humans, on the other hand, have also affected the habitats that remain relatively untouched, such as Australia. Entire continents have been thrown into chaos as a result of introducing alien species into habitats. Alien species, without their natural enemies, can consume all the food available in their introduced habitats, leaving none for the native fauna. The Tasmanian tiger is an example of this; it was overpowered by introduced dogs on the Australian mainland and was forced out of the mainland to Tasmania, where it eventually died out. Furthermore, if a predator is introduced, the native animals will not recognise it and will be hunted easily without any resistance. This, as a result, could seriously disrupt the ecological balance and endanger many native species.

Big businesses can also harm animals seriously by destroying their habitats. This is mainly because of human housing and development needs. Residential areas, new factories and farms have taken up the space of millions of square kilometers of grasslands and forests around the world. These areas were all potential habitats for countless species of animals, and clearing them to make a way for human civilisation have resulted in much mass extinction. For example, as tropical forests were cut down, some animals had progressively smaller feeding and living spaces which pushed them to move into human communities. Extermination of marauding monkeys, roaming tigers, or foraging