May 18th, 2018 is Endangered Species Day.
Elephants are among my favourite animals, so I decided to post the above heartbreaking work of art to accompany this post. (I am reminded of my World Wildlife Day post from early March 2018.)
With big game hunting in the news periodically, I am infuriated by people killing endangered and/or big game on special hunting trips (I’m sure that you’ve seen the same clips). In order to prepare to write this post, I did a quick Google search for ‘big game hunting in Africa.’ I wish I hadn’t done that, as apparently big game hunters are in the market to hunt anything from: elephants, rhinos, leopards, Cape buffalo, lions and hippos. I don’t understand the psychology behind this, but maybe I don’t have to understand why the demand for big game hunting expeditions exists in order to assist in protecting such species.
Protesting by writing and/or attending/organizing protests, raising awareness via social media and within your community, and (most influentially) using the almighty dollar to protest by refusing to spend money in countries or on goods produced in countries with lax laws/regulations in regards to protecting endangered species assist in protecting these animals.
As I live in Canada, I am interested in knowing more about the species that live in my backyard. I found this quote on the Nature Canada website:
In 2003, after a lot of hard work, the federal government agreed and moved forward with the Species at Risk Act, thus protecting over 200 hugely important species for Canada including:
- -gray whales;
- -tiger salamanders;
- -cucumber trees;
- -mudpuppy mussels; and
- -whooping cranes
I am familiar with 2 of the 5 listed above. (That’s bad.)
If you’d like to know more about the wildlife and endangered species in Canada, please take some time to learn more about Nature Canada here and check out this (sadly) much longer list of endangered species here.
Whether you are an expert on wildlife and the environment, or you have more to learn (like me), with clear goals and loud voices, we can make a difference for many endangered species with whom we share our planet (but we must act quickly).
Give your life the green light. It’s A Go!
Amber Green