The Main Reasons That Animals Become Endangered Essay Sample

Whether it is a plant or an animal, it definitely will die someday based on the laws of nature. However, in recent years, the extinction rate of plants and animals, especially the latter, has become higher in Taiwan. For example, Formosan Black Bears, Leopard Cats, and Sparrows are animals that disappear rapidly. Although there are countless causes, human activities, global environmental change, and invasive alien species are the main reasons that animals become endangered.

Human activities are a primary cause of endangered animals. It seems that this is the fate of most animals when humans have migrated to an uninhabited area. Humans consume many resources, so they overhunt a species, bringing about the extinction of the entire species. In addition, due to pollution produced by humans, the biosphere has been changed; thus, many species are extinct because these animals are not able to escape their habitats. The Leopard cat is a classic example that human activities cause extinction. Undoubtedly, human activities impact on endangered animals is significant. 

Global environmental change is a general factor of diminished animals populations. In fact, extinction is a natural part of evolution. Before humans appear, climate change and catastrophe events cause animal extinction. For example, in Ice Age, some mammals that cannot adapt to warming temperatures are in danger of extinction. Recently, because of global warming, various animals are threatened with extinction, too. For instance, it is hard for Formosan Black Bears to find their food due to higher temperatures. As a result, global environmental change poses a longterm threat to animals.

Invasive alien species can lead to the decline of endangered species. Since these invasive alien species do not evolve naturally, they usually introduce diseases that native species cannot fight. Besides, with no predictors, these invasive alien species reproduce continuedly and compete with native species for resources. Take sparrows in Taiwan for example, with the population of THRESKIORNIS AETHIOPICUS, an invasive alien species from Egypt, growing up, sparrows’ resources have become less. 

So far, sparrows have not developed a defense against this invasive alien species from Egypt. Consequently, these native animals would be exterminated as invasive alien species have competitive advantages over native species. Although extinction is natural, human activities, global environmental change, and invasive alien species have given rise to a difficult situation that animals become endangered in Taiwan recently. As animals no longer exist, the loss of creature diversity takes place. With low creature diversity, the environment would become vulnerable. Then, it is tricky for humans to survive in a changing world. All creatures can go extinct and so can humans. Hence, without animals, humans would go extinct soon.