AS YOU HEARD, THE BEST WAY TO AVOID EXTINCTION IS BY PROTECTING ALL THE SPECIES WE HAVE HERE ON EARTH! AND WE HAVE SOME GOOD NEWS ON THAT FRONT. TWO SPECIES HAVE RECENTLY BEEN REMOVED FROM THE ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST.
GIANT PANDAS LUMBERED OFF THE LIST OVER THE SUMMER, THANKS IN PART TO EFFORTS TO PROTECT AND EXPAND THEIR NATIVE HABITATS AND A CRACKDOWN ON POACHING. GIANT PANDA POPULATIONS IN THE WILD HAVE RISEN STEADILY BY 17 PERCENT OVER THE PAST DECADE.
….AND EVEN MORE RECENTLY MANATEES SWAM – OR, MORE LIKE, CALMLY FLOATED – OFF THE LIST. KNOWN AS SEA COWS DUE TO THEIR DIET OF AQUATIC PLANTS, THEY ARE COMMON IN FLORIDA – AND WERE THREATENED BY HUMAN ACTIVITIES LIKE BOATING AND FISHING. BUT WITH RECENT PROTECTIONS AND MORE AWARENESS, MANATEES HAVE FLOURISHED – AND NOW HAVE A POPULATION OF AT LEAST 13,000.
Instructional Links
Website Article: Wonderopolis, How Does a Species Become Endangered?
Website Article: World Wildlife Fund, Giant panda no longer Endangered
Website Article: Save the Manatee Club, Manatee Facts
Website: U.S Fish & Wildlife Service, Endangered Species, Midwest Region | Info for midwest, including Ohio.