Today is Endangered Species Day
By Tiffany Velazquez and Luciana Fernandez
On May 19, organizations across the world will acknowledge the problem of endangered
animals during Endangered Species Day. The day commemorates when the Endangered
Species Act (ESA) was set into law in 1973, under the presidency of Richard Nixon. This
act provides protection for the animals that are endangered from becoming extinct and
works to prevent other species from getting on the list. However, with the election of
Donald Trump and the Congress that was inaugurated in January, many attempts have
been made to dismantle the ESA.
Critics of the law say that the ESA doesn’t protect animals, but instead stops
development and hurts jobs from growing in areas that are protected from mining,
logging, fishing, etc. Now, more than ever, it is important that our generation stands up
for the species that are in danger of being extinct forever.
According to statistics, approximately 2,270 species are listed as an endangered or
threatened. All types of animal and plants are protected under the act, except bugs.
“It’s outrageous that the people in power don’t acknowledge that this is a problem,”
senior Eduardo Granados said. “Animal life needs to be preserved just like we value
human life, no organism is superior and we all should be able to coexist.”
Some ways to protect the endangered species are to get informed about the dangers of
animals going extinct. We need to strengthen and bring more attention to the ESA. Also,
to celebrate Endangered Species Day, call your congressman or senator and let them
know how you feel about laws that try to take away protections from wildlife.
We can also support conservation programs that are dedicated to preventing more
animals from making it the list. Another way to reduce threads to the wildlife is by
protecting the habitats that they depend on for survival; a way of doing this is by
avoiding contamination of the oceans and preventing construction on wildlife territory.
Remember, that even just one species going extinct upsets the natural order that we
benefit from. If a certain kind of bee or even rodent disappears, think about how that
could effect farms and the crops that we depend on for nutrition.
Some facts about the Animal Extinction is:
801 animals have gone extinct
64 animals are extinct in the wild
3,879 animals are critically endangered
10,002 animals are vulnerable
The Top Endangered Animals
40 Amur leopards left
80 Panther’s left
300 Cross River Gorillas left
500 Grizzly Bears left
950 Camels left
1,000 Giant Pandas left
10,000 Blue Whales left
20,000 Polar Bears left
All sources are from the World Wildlife Fund.