If there is one thing we know about the future, it is that it’s uncertain. No one really knows what the future holds. For some however, the future is more uncertain than others. Largely due to human activity and waste, there are some animals whose species might not live on if something doesn’t change soon.
Famous for their strength and size, gorillas are unfortunately an endangered species. They live in large groups in the tropical jungles of central Africa. With a surprising level of intelligence, gorillas are a lot closer to human beings than some people think.
Many subspecies of gorilla face extinction due to a number of factors, including a loss of habitat due to human beings and poaching. Due to this, certain subspecies of gorilla, like the cross river gorilla, have fewer than 300 individuals currently living in the wild. Thankfully, numerous preservation attempts have been created to help keep the species going.
Another jungle animal, the Bengal tiger, a feline that lives primarily in temperate and mixed forests, also faces possible extinction. Poachers will often hunt the large cats for their meat, bones, teeth and fur, and tigers experience habitat loss due to human expansion and deforestation. Because of this, there are fewer than 3,000 Bengal tigers left alive in the wild.
The largest creature on the planet, the blue whale lives in nearly every ocean on earth, and has been under the threat of extinction for many decades. Once boasting a population of 350,000, intense commercial whaling in the 1960s and 1970s became so bad that the number of blue whales in the wild ranged from 2,000-3,000.
Thankfully, an international ban on blue whale hunting in 1966 was passed. Now, while still endangered, the blue whale has made a slow recovery, and there are 10,000-25,000 blue whales living in the oceans.
Most, if not all endangered species on earth have had their population depleted because of human interference. There is still hope for these animals, but only if efforts are made to stop killing them for money and destroying their homes needlessly.
