A species of animal or plant that’s seriously in danger of extinction is known as endangered species.

WHAT CAUSES ANIMALS TO BECOME ENDANGERED?

Many factors cause animals to become endangered and extinct, but natural forces and manual activities are the main cause that destroys the animal population. Small populations organisms with limited distribution are extremely sensitive to the factors causing endangerment, whether one relies on the ordinary sense of the word or the endangered species definition embedded in federal law.

Many other factors that cause the species to become endangered are discussed below:

• LOSS OF HABITAT: One of all the foremost important causes due to which the species are becoming endangered is the loss of habitat. The animals lose their homes because of some natural forces like climate shifts or geological changes. By seeing today’s situation the main reason behind their habitat loss is the manual activities which are mainly the development of canals, dams, highways, agriculture, and urbanization which dramatically affect the inhabitants of native ecosystems.
• OVEREXPLOITATION OF THE SPECIES: The organisms within the ecosystem are harmed or benefited by the overexploitation of a particular species. For example, the Sea Otters in California are on the verge of extinction because of the indiscriminate killing of the sea otters, altering the balance of the biotic competition between several organisms. But the decreasing population of the sea otters led to the explosion within the population of the sea urchins.
• DISEASES: The expansion of domesticated animals has also increased the diseases that are associated with them to the new areas of the new world. In some instances, the natives get affected by diseases that had little resistance to the invading pathogens. These diseases can also get to the epidemic level among the presiding population and control their numbers.
• POLLUTION: Pollution in many ways has endangered many animals. Chemicals like pesticides and lots of others are introduced to the ecosystem which may harm the species. For example, DDTs are used to fight mosquitoes but they have also been related to the collapse of the bird population. Other types of pollutants such as thermal and noise pollution can reduce the survival rates of the local animals.

WHERE CAN THE ENDANGERED SPECIES REPRODUCE?

The species that are endangered and are likely to get extinct within the wild are brought into captivity so as to safeguard against the approaching extinction and to extend their population. The principal goal of captive reproduction is to establish populations via controlled breeding are:

• Large enough to be demographically stable.
• Genetically healthy [ Ebenhard 1995].

Initiating the captive population is a very important contribution of zoos and aquariums to the conservation of endangered species. Zoos and aquariums have very restricted spaces, where it is very difficult to maintain a  healthy community. They also cooperate in managing their collections as breeding populations from international to regional levels.WAZA | World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, an organization that unites the world’s zoos and aquariums in cooperative breeding. 

Another principal objective of captive reproduction is to reintroduce the animals to the wild to reinstate the population. Reestablishment can also make use of individuals from healthy and wild populations, which means the lone that is expanding in one part of the range and are introduced to an area where the population of that particular species is extirpated. The reintroduction program brings the animals back to the place where they belong, their historic range, where they can roam freely and also get monitored. Therefore the reintroduction can only be practical if the survival of the animals is assured.

HOW CAN THE ENDANGERED SPECIES BE PROTECTED?

1. The first step to guard the endangered species is to possess knowledge about the interesting facts about the species and understand how important they are.
2. Minimize the use of herbicides and pesticides. Herbicides and pesticides are perilous pollutants affecting wildlife at many levels.
3. Reduce the use of water, so that the animals that live near the water bodies can have a better chance of survival.
4. Do not litter and destroy sensitive habitats, which can be home to native or visiting species that are endangered or threatened.
5. Report any harassment of threatened and endangered species.