Endangered under the Hands of Humans

Every day humans are causing more pain to marine and land animals. From birds in the sky down to small fish at the bottom of the sea, our actions will always affect animals and plants. Everything has a consequence. Today I will be opening your eyes to two species that are on the brink of extinction; the Vaquita and the Hawksbill Turtle. Both are in the category ‘ Critically Endangered’ because of the actions of humans. I will inform you of the nature of these animals and the threats that humans pose to them.

The Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricate) is part of the Cheloniidae turtle family. Cheloniidae is a family of large turtles that can be recognised by their streamlined, rounded shells and their narrow, pointed beak. Hawksbill turtles are found all over the world, mainly in the tropical oceans. These turtles are a fundamental part of coral reefs and there would be a lot of negative consequences if they became extinct. The turtles are important to reef ecosystems because they rid the sponges from prey, which makes it easier for other fish to access the reef and find food.

The Vaquita (Phocoena sinus) is one of the world’s most rare marine mammals, with only 30 individuals left in existence. The Vaquita is a type of porpoise found in the northern part of the Gulf of California. They are distinguished with a large dark ring around their eyes and dark areas around the lips that form a thin line between the mouth and the pectoral fins. These porpoises matter because they are the most endangered cetacean in the world because their native ecosystem would be dramatically altered and disrupted if the Vaquita were to become extinct and disappear from the oceans.

Even though these two examples are different species and have different diets, living conditions ...etc., they are both critically endangered for one reason: the effect of humans on marine life. The main threat to the Vaquita and the Hawksbill Turtle is bycatch. Bycatch, in regards to fishing, is where a fishing boat catches a marine species, in this case, the Vaquita or the Hawksbill Turtle, unintentionally while they are attempting to catch fish of another species, usually targeted. The Hawksbill Turtle is especially at risk of being caught as bycatch because they need to come up to the surface in order to breathe, making them more susceptible to being trapped in a net and eaten or sold. Nearly one of every five Vaquita are entangled or drowned in nets instead of the desired totoabe, another critically endangered fish in the Gulf of California, which has been banned under CITES. Hawksbill Turtles are also at risk from the illegal wildlife trade, as many view their unique shells for jewellery and ornaments. Many countries around the world are interested in tortoiseshell, especially around Asia, where there is an eager market for it.

There are loads of things that ordinary people like you or I can do to help save endangered species like the Vaquita and the Hawksbill Turtle. For example, you can donate to charities like the WWF, which raise awareness and run projects in the hope of reducing bycatch and overfishing, and stopping the illegal wildlife trade. The most important thing (and the easiest) would be to tell people about endangered animals, both land and marine. The more people that are made aware of the danger these animals are in, the more people will be making an effort to stop their extinction, which will be inevitable if fishing and the wildlife trade continues as they are today.

To conclude, even though I have only introduced two critically endangered species to you today, there are thousands more. If you want to hear about more, check out the WWF website, where they outline all of the species that need protecting and what you can do to help.

Every animal’s life counts. Don’t let any animal die because you couldn’t be bothered to do anything.