Luka Suon
October 9, 2008 posted 3:30 pm
In Barcelona, Spain, 8,000 scientists, conservationists, business leaders, and representatives from governmental environment agencies assembled a report that took five years to complete to reveal a haunting truth--25% of the 5,487 species of animals on this planet are either extinct or on their way to extinction. Several animals considered "Extinct" or on the edge of extinction are the Chinese river dolphin, several species of primates (killed for their meat, deemed as luxury meat in some African countries), the North Atlantic right whale, and the vaquita (a small porpoise indigenous to the Gulf of Mexico).
The massive loss of wildlife habitat and poaching activity are the main culprits in the causation of these extinctions/near extinctions. 24% of the world's vertebrate animals are facing extinction. The assessment, however, is so numerous it has become a catalog with the list of animal species facing this threat, although some of the assessments are far from being too accurate. The outlook for these animals and their futures appear bleak, and a lot of work will be undertaken to figure out what can be done.
The initial threat to our world endangers not only ourselves but the other denizens of this planet.The current road to Armageddon seems lucid, since we are responsible for signing the death sentences of so many species. In our strive for progress we have endangered the lives of others, albeit they are not on the same level of equity as humanity. Perhaps we should consider what we are doing to them with the perspective of what would happen if they were in our positions and vice versa. It sounds a tad bit ridiculous but nevertheless it calls to attention the necessity of putting aside greed to think about what we are doing to this world and the consequences that result as a product and testament to our carelessness. We are a careless species!
Links:
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-fg-extinct7-2008oct07,0,6158305.story
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