On The Brink Of Extinction

Well, if not everyone many of us are aware of the quote by Albert Einstein which says, "If the bee disappeared off the face of the earth, man would only have four years left to live" and no wonder this quote is becoming a stark reality now. The existent natural habitat is decreasing day by day only to be occupied by a more savage animal, "humans". The only animal threatening the existence is the civilised animal, that knows to coerce animals to perform entertainment shows, to sweep them off their natural habitats due to their own selfishness, the list is Endless. The unforeseen irrevocable damage to the ecosystem balance will only threaten its own existence. Here is a list of 5 such endangered species facing extinction

1.javan rhinoceros

This Sumatran rhinoceros(Rhinoceros sondaicus) was once a widespread animals in the islands of Java and Sumatra now face extinction threats due to poachers, which mercilessly kill these animals due to their horn fetching dollars as the horn is high in demand due to its medicinal properties in China.

2. Atlantic bluefin tuna

The Atlantic bluefin tuna(Thunnus Thynnus) is a species of tuna in the family scombridae native to both western and eastern Atlantic Ocean.

According to a report in 2009 the population of Atlantic tuna decreased bya no as high as 72% in the eastern Atlantic Ocean in the last 40 years. aThe main reasons for its decreasing number lies in the fact that it is the most sought after fish due to the usage in sushi and sashimi. Fishes have been sold on aprice of $1.75 million but the protection is highly required due to maintenance of food chain of oceans as this rare fish is a top predator.

3.Tiger

Tiger(panthera tigris) the largest of all the species in Felidae.The range widely varied from eastern Anatolia region to the Amur River basin. The numbers have significantly declined from 1,00,000 from the early 20th century to 3062in 2015, featuring it in IUCN red list.

Major reasons of declining population includes habitual destruction,poaching , habitual fragmentation and killing due to inadvertent entering of tigers in densely populated area. The main reasons behind hunting and poaching include it's high cost of fur and other body parts which are used in curing ailments ranging from toothache to pimples . Although such cures have never been proven effective but continued poaching due money has been on rise.

4. Asian Elephant
The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus),commonly known as Asiatic elephant is endemic to Indian subcontinent and southeast Asia. The genus Elephas originated in sub Saharan parts of Africa and eventually spread to south East Asia and Indian subcontinent. This mammoth animal is the largest land mammal but now faces the fear of extinction due to the competition for space, habitat degradation, deforestation andpoaching. Slash and burn cultivation, monocrop cultivation and competence for developmental projects leading to habitat restriction have significantly contributed in the loss of elephant population. In India alone the numbers declined from 30,000 to 27,000 in just five years. Their foraging acts helps in maintaining the ecosystem they live in and termites depend on their faeces for survival.The mammoth animal conservation is much needed as they not only enhance the vegetation growth but also provide nutrition for other organisms.

5.vaquita porpoises

Vaquita(Phocoena sinus), a species of porpoise common to northern part of gulf of California now faces threat of extinction so much that the Mexican government has affirmed to spend a huge amount of $3 billion in order to save the little creature from being poached killed and get caught in gillnets used to catch another endangered species. The species has been enlisted as endangered in the IUCN for quite some time.In 1977 the number was estimated to br around 600, below 100 in 2014 and now stands at 12-15 only. The Mexican government and their leaders are now relying on captive breeding which is now being tested for its feasibility as the breeding potential of vaquita in captivity is uncertain. The rescuing and recovering of vaquita population is necessary as it tops the food chain in the northern gulf region and the dramatic decline in the number of species would result in increased of small fishes that vaquita generally preys upon this leading to an decrease in the plant and planktons vital to the ecosystem. There are a variety of marine animals depending upon both vaquita and planktons both of which will eventually decline in number if proper attention is not given.

The earth has a total of 8.7 billion speciesand a total of 99 percent of all species that ever lived on earth, have already died amounting to a huge number of 5 billion species. The increasing globalisation, populationand competence for space among animals and humans have led to the extinction of most of the species, some of which were never discovered.

Animals are not only vital to the ecosystem, the end of any of them threatens the mere existence of humans itself. Illegal poaching and hunting for the sake of money and medicinal purposes, irregularities in the endemic habitats have increased the number of extinct species.The inclusion of small steps towards saving the earth and the environment, creating awareness and protesting against the poachers will surely help if not fully, substantially, even

substantial aid will suffice.