ENDANGERED ANIMAL SUCCESS STORIES
In 2006, the United States government declared May 11 to be Endangered Species Day. This day was created to encourage people to raise their awareness and understanding of the problem of endangered species. Indeed, the government has shown itself to be a true friend of endangered species. In 1973, the United States government passed into law the Endangered Species Act. Its three major goals were as follows: to protect plants 10 and animals from extinction by listing them as endangered; to preserve the habitat of these species; and to help populations of listed species recover. Today, we celebrate dozens of success stories of animals brought back from near extinction. Here are three such success stories.
It is fitting that we begin with the story of the bald eagle, the national symbol of the United States. Before the arrival of the Europeans in North America, it is estimated that the population of bald eagles in the 15 United States, excluding Alaska, was about 100,000 birds. By 1963, the population had dropped to less than 1,000 individuals-an appalling trend. Hunting was certainly a major factor in this decline, as was the destruction of habitat, but another factor was a chemical used in the control of insects, DDT. It had a strange effect on the 2 eagles' eggs. It made their shells very thin so that they broke easily, and the baby birds inside were frail.
The single most important factor in the recovery of the bald eagle was a 1972 ban on DDT. Being listed as an endangered species gave the birds additional protection. Bald eagle populations are now carefully watched, and baby eagles are raised under human protection to be later released into the wild. Thanks to these efforts, the number of eagles in the United States, excluding Alaska, has grown to about 14,000.
Another classic symbol of North American wildlife is the grizzly gear. In the era before the Europeans arrived, more than 50,000 grizzlies wandered the American West. Today that number is closer to 1,000. Because grizzly bears have babies at a very slow rate, it takes many years for the population to grow.
Most of the grizzly bears in the United States, excluding Alaska, live in the protection of Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks. Hunting them has been completely outlawed. As bear populations grow, it becomes very important to prevent encounters between humans and bears: 20 to 40 bears are killed each year in such encounters. Garbage management is an important factor in keeping bears away from humans.
In the Florida Keys, a chain of islands off the coast of Florida, there lives a small population of tiny deer called Key deer. They once lived on a number of islands, but they have gradually been limited to mainly one. The Key deer very nearly died out-at one point there were only 25 remaining. In the past, hunting was a big problem. Recently, deer are rarely killed intentionally, but exploitation of their island's land for homes, roads, and tourism has destroyed much of their habitat. Automobiles also kill a number of deer each year.
The Key deer was one of the first animals to be listed as endangered. In 1957, a sanctuary was created for the deer. There, a staff conducts health checks on them. Thanks to these efforts, their population has returned to about 500.
We hope that the government continues to be on the side of endangered species. Each unique species enriches our environment and is certainly worth protecting. By protecting endangered species, we also express our respect for the place in which we live. At the same time, we present a gift of great value to future generations
of people.
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