We're seeing it happen day by day: the world is falling apart at our feet. Excessive consumption, unchecked expansion, and global warming are daily adding to --and speeding up-- the downfall of our planet. Every single day, species on this planet disappear. In fact, a recent poll of biologists shows that 70% of them believe we're currently experiencing a massive extinction-- only the sixth one in our planet's history, and the only one not caused by a natural occurrence. Some even believe that as many as 90% of the Earth's current species could be wiped out in very little time.
There's no predicting what will happen in 10, 50, or 100 years. But it's easy to see that, as a species, we humans are not taking the world in the right direction. Every day, we lose more and more species of plants and animals-- including some very precious ones.
Call yourself an animal lover on your free internet dating profile? Then you'll probably be interested to read about the animals below, 5 very important species that are currently on the brink of extinction.
Giant Panda
The giant panda is China's symbol, a beautiful, gentle creature that inspires love (and a loud "awwwww!") in anyone who sees one. But because their habitat is slowly being eroded away by humans, Giant Pandas are at a great risk of extinction. There are less than 2,000 of these animals left in the world, and they're only hanging on because of captive breeding (like in zoos) and special protection programs.
Polar Bear
It's hard to imagine a world without polar bears it in; these incredible creatures occupy a large space in the collective psyche. But these animals are at grave risk, with less than 25,000 left alive in the world. Decades ago, polar bear numbers began to fall dramatically. But the onset of global warming has made the problem much, much worse. As the seas get warmer, the ice floes that the bears count on for hunting get fewer and further between. Polar bears are dying due to a lack of food, and many of them are even drowning.
Sumatran Tiger
For a million years, the Sumatran Tiger, a small breed of tiger, has lived in Sumatra, a large island in Indonesia. This island is the only place in the world that these tigers are found, and due to hunting and human expansion there are very few areas left for them to live. There are just over 500 Sumatran Tigers left in the world, and only about 100 of them are in the wild (that is, outside of protected reserves and parks). Other than the few protected areas on the island, there's almost nowhere left for them to go.
Mekong Giant Catfish
The giant catfish --which grows to up to 600 pounds (about 300 kilos)-- has for centuries been a central part of the culture along the Mekong river. But due to over fishing and human technological expansion (damming and dumping in the river has reduced the water quality dramatically) the population of this majestic creature has fallen by 80% in the last 15 years or so. In some places, this fish has been protected; but that hasn't stopped the fishing industry from taking one when they can... which happens more and more rarely as numbers dwindle.
Borneo Pygmy Elephant
In recent years, human development in Asia has exploded. And because of this development and expansion, entire populations of Asian elephants are disappearing. In worst danger of all is the Borneo Pygmy Elephant, a smaller breed of elephant with a particularly pleasant and docile nature (in fact, some believe they evolved from tame, domesticated elephants). As of 2007, there are less than 1,000 of these elephants left in the world, as plantations and poaching have reduced their numbers dramatically.
