If you've been following up with my latest post I am going to continue with keeping everyone up to date with endangered species. For this weeks post I'm going to get into the rainforest (not literally). Let's take look to see which animals are being threatened.
Golden Lion Tamarin
In addition to habitat destruction, golden lion tamarins were hunted for food and captured for the pet trade, display in zoos, and biomedical research. Tamarins also were persecuted by local people who mistakenly believed that they carried yellow fever and malaria.
The coastal tropical rain forests of Brazil where the golden lion tamarins live is also the region preferentially settled and cleared for agriculture and ranching. These areas are most pressured by today’s growing human population.
Gorillas
In spite of this fact, Gorilla is listed as Critically Endangered because of the severity of the threats it faces, along with the alarming rate at which its numbers appear to be declining. Not only is the species under intense pressure from illegal market hunting—”bushmeat” is a sought after delicacy in West Africa—but large numbers of gorillas have been killed in recent years by human diseases, most notably the dreaded and incurable Ebola virus. Ebola appears to have completely wiped chimpanzees and gorillas alike from vast areas of otherwise intact West African forest.
Bengal Tiger
Today, due to habitat loss caused by deforestation, and hunting by human poachers, the Bengal tiger is considered to be an endangered species. Despite being the most common of all the tiger species, there are thought to be around 2,000 Bengal tigers left in the wild.
This tiger subspecies is at the top of the food chain in the wild. But tigers are also a vital link in maintaining the rich diversity of nature. When tigers are protected, we save so much more. For example, with just one tiger, we protect around 25,000 acres of forest. These ecosystems supply both nature and people with fresh water, food, and health.
Let's take care of our animals. Animals do matter and they also play a big part in our lives.
