seal killTrying to End the Slaughter

Wildlife and biodiversity are under attack around the world. The threat is not just from the clubbing to death of seals for their pelts or the shooting of elephants for their ivory. It comes in a myriad forms, through the shooting for food or sport, the competition for land and resources, and through pollution, and where animals die due to our carelessness and uncaring attitudes.

The good news is that there are many people, NGOs, communities and governments who are taking seriously the threat to wildlife and are taking steps to do something about it. The bad news is the challenge is immense.

Competition between man and beast

One of the main threats to wildlife around the world in the encroachment of man into the wilderness. In these circumstances there can be competition for resources, in addition to the threat that wild animals that may be killed for food. There were times in the past when this killing could be said to have helped regulate numbers. Today, the chances are that man’s culling will lead to extinction.

One part of the world witnessing a stark clash between man and beast is India with its billion-plus population. Encroachment of forests and wilderness is leading to the killing of many wildlife. One animal in the gun-sights of villagers and poachers is the tiger. While NGOs such as the Corbett Foundation are fighting to protect these animals, now down to about 2,000 in the country, villagers typically view the animals as a deadly menace, given the attacks on their livestock and even villagers.

Check out the following video that shows there is no easy answer to protecting the tiger.

India: Last of the Tigers – Al Jazeera

Western Wolves under threat

Polar bears being forced to to swim further

Animals under threat in the Himalayas