Day 276 – They were on the endangered species list. Sadly, they have not been seen in the wild in a long time. It’s feared they are now extinct as a result of habitat destruction and climate change.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has officially proposed to take 23 plants and animals off the endangered species list and declare them extinct. Before this recent announcement, eleven species had been removed from the list as a result of extinction, in the past 50 years.
In an article written by Katharine Gammon for The Guardian, she writes about the current extinction crisis.
“According to the UN, 1 million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction, many within decades, more than ever before in human history. Declining habitat, climate change and pollution are all factors in the increasing number of extinctions.
The species on the list, now officially extinct, include 10 types of bats and birds found only on islands in the Pacific, as well as eight types of freshwater mussels from riverbeds across the eastern US.
One of the final members of the Kauaʻi ʻōʻō bird died in 1987. He lived his last days in captivity, singing a mating song to a female that would never come. His song was recorded for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.”
There’s still a chance that these plants and animals may not make the list of extinct species. The public has 60 days to comment. Many believe that the fight for these species is not over and people need to continue protecting their habitats. As John Fitzpatrick, a Cornell University bird biologist said, ““little is gained and much is lost” with an extinction declaration.
Tomorrow, hoping a little incentive will encourage people to recycle.
365 Ways to Save the Planet 