Endangered species Essay Example for Free

Endangered species Essay The tiger being a native occupant of the Eastern and Southern Asia is endangered species. Six out of the nine subspecies of the tiger are endangered while the other three subspecies are already extinct according to the zoo attendant. The tiger species are endangered due to quite a number of reasons e. g. poaching, deforestation and fragmentation. This is to the fact that this wild cat likes only densely populated areas which pose greater risk for its survival. The tiger is being hunted for fur and destruction of habitat has reduced the tiger population in the wild. Research has established that at the start of the 20th century it was estimated that over 100000 tigers existed world over but their population has reduced greatly to about 2000 in the wild. Some research also suggests that it is even lower in numbers. Some major campaigns have been initiated world wide in order to conserve this specie e. g. the project tiger initiative in India; which has the largest population of tigers, has been on a campaign since 1973, initially spearheaded by Indira Gandhi. Fundamental accomplishments have been the establishment of over 25 well-monitored tiger reserves in reclaimed land where human development is not allowed. 2. Background information: The tiger as it is commonly known has the scientific name Panthera tigris. It is a member of the family Felidae the largest of the four big cats in the genus Panthera. More information about its classification is as follows: Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Mammalia, Order: Carnivora, Family: Felidae, Genus: Panthera, Species: P. tigris. And its subspecies are: P. t. tigris, Panthera tigris jacksoni, P. t. sumatrae, Panthera tigris altaica, Panthera ,tigris amoyensis, † Panthera tigris virgata, † P. t. balica, † P. t. sondaica. The last three sub species are extinct. It is a native of much of the Southern and Eastern Asia ands is an obligate carnivore and apex predator. It lives in various types of forests, including wet; evergreen; the deciduous forest, and the thorn forests and prefers denser vegetation. 3. The plan: One of the proposed plans to save this endangered species is to reclaim land occupied by people that were originally habitat for this animal, secondly there is need to introduce new and strict measures to curb the poaching menace to the animal species. The most endangered species are recommended for zoos in order to preserve them and prevent them from becoming extinct. It is more than evident that the Washington DC zoo is campaigning highly on the fact mission of saving this specie even though the zoo might not be able to accommodate all the endangered species of the animal. In order to be able to accomplish this, the zoo management has established a research centre that is dedicated to the well being and maintenance of the tiger. 5. Estimate cost It is better to recommend the animal to be breed in the wild than keeping it in the Zoo. This is so due to high cost of breeding in the Zoo and since it is a wild cat, being kept in the wild while monitoring their development is necessary and this is the work of the research institutions that have been established in the Zoo. 6. Conclusions: Since the major problem that this animal is experiencing is deforestation, poaching, and fragmentation. It is rather proper to take precautionary steps such as land reclamation by a forestation in deforested areas to allow the tiger to breed fully to increase in population.