How Human Beings Protect Animals

Since the late 1800's, people have become increasingly concerned about the world's vanishing wildlife. Such concerns have resulted in part from a growing awareness of the interconnectedness of species-the web of life. Greater numbers of people now recognize that the disappearance of large numbers of species threatens the survival of other living things, including human beings. People who help protect habitats and animals are called conservationists.

Protected areas. The United States and many other countries have created national parks, game reserves, and wildlife refuges. In these areas, habitats are protected from development and hunting is banned. Many conservationists believe that these areas may represent the last hope for saving some threatened species in the wild. Yellowstone National Park is one of the largest wildlife preserves in the United States. Grizzly bears and bison roam the park freely, and bald eagles and trumpeter swans nest there. All these species are rare. The African elephant and black rhinoceros are protected in parks and reserves in the African savannas.

Laws. State and federal laws also protect wildlife in the United States. For example, under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, officials in the Department of the Interior keep an up-to-date list of species that are in danger of extinction. The act prohibits federal projects that would destroy the habitat of an endangered species. In 1982, the act was amended to require anyone who wants to develop or change a habitat occupied by an endangered species to show that the planned changes will not harm that species.

Federal and state agencies in the United States also determine the number of certain game animals that can be hunted and fished each season. If an animal starts to become rare, the agencies can reduce the number of that species that can be taken legally. The population of that species then has an opportunity to recover.

Breeding in captivity. Some species have become so rare that scientists believe the only hope of saving them is to breed them in captivity. For example, nearly all the California condors that are still alive are in zoos in the United States. A condor chick raised in captivity has a better chance of survival than one in nature does. As the number of condors grows, biologists are beginning to reintroduce a few birds back into the wild. Other endangered species being bred in captivity include the Arabian oryx and the whooping crane.

In spite of conservation efforts, the future of wildlife remains uncertain. The human population continues to grow. Forests and grasslands are still being destroyed. People continue to hunt African elephants, snow leopards, and other vanishing species. Air pollution, acid rain, and water pollution also still threaten the survival of wild species.