Introduction

Our topic is endangered animals the importance of this topic is we need meet to survive so we need animals in life. We chose this topic because we like animals they are very interesting so please read on and take the time to consider all the hard work and effort that we have put in to this project to save the animals.

Our problem is that too many animals are dying because of us destroying forests, hunting them, polluting water, and polluting air. This happens every where all over the world animals are going endangered everywhere. The animals and all of us are effected because we need to survive. People at "WWF" (world wild life foundation) have a hot line that helps the animals live in a secure society, away from hunter, poachers, polluted air and water. Brendan Howley and Kerry Bowman went to Africa and are trying to save endangered apes in Toronto life issue Dec. 97 they did a write up about poachers disrupting natures natural habitat.

 

Research

Kangaroo

Length:15-120 inches
Weight:18 ounces-150 lbs
Where it lives: Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and the nearby islands.

People are concerned about the survival of some species of kangaroos. The larger ones are being shot by ranchers and farmers because they share their land with cattle. The landowners do not want their cattle to have to compete for food with the kangaroos. Each year thousands of the larger are also killed for their hides. Their meat is used to make dog food. If this kind of slaughter goes on much longer, kangaroos will soon be threatened with extinction.

Elephants:

Height: 8-9 feet
Length:18-21 feet
Weight: 11,000 lbs
Where it lives: India and Southeast Asia

An Asian elephant feeds sixteen hours a day. It eats 400 lbs of leaves, shoots, branches, and grasses during that time elephants must always be near water because they drink about 61 gallons daily! They produce huge mounds of manure that contain many nutrients on which birds and other creatures feed on. When it is born, an Asian elephant weighs about 200 lbs. If it is a female, it will stay with it's mother's herd all it's life. If it is a male, it will leave the herd and join a small group of other males when it is eleven or twelve.

Today there are fewer than 50 thousand wild Asian elephants left in the world. That number is decreasing quickly for several reasons. The Asian elephants natural home is the tropical forests of India and Asia. Much of his habitat has been destroyed. As farmers clear more of the forests to plant crops, many elephants must move to the open plains. Where they are easy targets for hunters and traders. Most wild elephants are now found is a few nations.

The grey wolf

Height: 26-38 inches
Length: 50-70 inches
Weight: 60-157 lbs
Where it lives: The nothern half of North America, parts of Europe, and all of Asia except India and the jungle regions of India

In some parts of their range wolves are very common. Canada, Alaska, and Russia still have a large number of wolves . In other parts of their traditional habitats however especially in the united states, and Mexico there may be only a few hundred animals left. Wolves have had a bad reputation for a long time. In Europe and Asia people felt that they had to kill as many wolves as possible. Another reason that people kill wolves is that wolves were believed to pray mainly on animals that supply people with meat. Hunters did not like to lose deer to wolves and farmers did not want their sheep and cattle eaten. As people began living in places where wolves roamed the wolves were trapped and shot until only a few were left. Wolves do not deserve the bad reputation that people have given them through stories and books. Most wolves are social animals that live in small packs and take and care for one another. They generally keep away from people and populated areas. The wolf howls that many people find frightening are the animals way of communicating with other wolves. It is the way of marking the location of a pack's territory and a warning for other wolves to stay away. Wolves may also howl because they enjoy it.

 

White Rhinoceros

Height: 63-73 inches
Length: 145-160 inches
Weight: up to three tons (6,000 lbs)
Where it lives: African grasslands

White Rhinos feed on grass. They are called grazers. Their mouths are long and square and resembles the mouths of cows. These large mouths allow rhinos to bite off big bunches of grass all at once. many countries now provide armed guards to protect the remaining white rhinos. This extreme measures has so far saved the majestic white from extinction. The problem here is that they are endangered.

Response

Stop poaching! If you are going to kill an animal don't waste it. Use every single part of the animal and make sure it is not endangered. Put more signs up where you can't hunt, and if you do get you put in jail. We think that animals are just like a turtle crossing the road and all of a sudden splat your dead. Or imagine you are playing in the forest with your family and then all of a sudden "bang bang bang" you and your family are all dead.

Some solutions that have already been tried are signs, phone numbers, WWF, and adoptions. They are kind of working but are not good enough. In our community we can't do a lot as there aren't very many animals in our community. But we could make a web page or a banner. People made a foundation called the world wildlife foundation to help animals survive. The solutions are working because people are adopting animals. People shouldn't be shooting animals anyway. People should do something about it. If they don't start now a lot of animals are going to get extinct. We are getting sick of people killing animals such as seals, whales, otters, elephants, tigers etc. Somebody's got to do something about all this.

 

by Matthew, Josh and Aaron

Class 8-4 Milne Valley Middle School
North York, Ontario, Canada
e-mail us at: milne84@ipsystems.com

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