One of the most pressing environmental issues we are facing today is the rapid decrease in numbers of certain animal species. These species are what ecologists label as endangered. Numbering only in thousands, members of an endangered animal population need a very long period of time to replenish its multiplicity. And due to the constant butchery administered upon them by the human race, their numbers continue to drop instead of climbing to a sustainable level.

Despite the laws protecting and preserving animals in several countries, the smuggling of wildlife remains to be one of the major environmental problems of our planet. Each year, a very large amount of money is swapped for the highly-prized body parts of certain animals. This illegal trade of organs pushes many species of animals into the brink of extinction.

Three of the most endangered species of animals are the black rhinoceros, the Indo-Chinese tiger, and the giant panda. Hunted and poached for different reasons, these animals can barely sustain the threat to their continued existence.

Black Rhinoceros	Indo-Chinese Tiger	Giant Panda

Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis): Black rhino populations in Africa have dropped more than 95 percent since 1970. Now, less than 2,000 remain. Rhinos are killed by humans primarily for their horns, which are ground into powder for use as a fever-reducing agent in traditional oriental medicines. Also, they are carved into dagger handles in the Middle East.

Indo-Chinese Tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti) : This tiger subspecies is at risk due to the entry of Western businesses in IndoChina and Southeast Asia. Poaching opportunities increase in countries such as Laos, Burma, and Cambodia. Less than 1,500 remain in the wild today. Like rhino's horns, tiger bones are ground and used as traditional medicines in countries like China, Taiwan, and South Korea.

Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca): Giant pandas, numbering as few as 1,000 in China, could face extinction before the end of the century. Historically the giant panda ranged over an extended area of southeastern Asia. Today they survive only along the eastern front of the Tibetan plateau of China in three neighboring provinces. The species' decline is due to poaching and the big demand for pandas by zoos all over the world.

However frightening those words may sound, there is still hope for these endangered animal species. Through organizations like World Wildlife Fund, we can help save endangered animals indirectly. Also, by raising awareness among people about the seriousness of the problem, such organizations would receive more support.

Black Rhinoceros. Encyclopaedia Britannica 1997 on CD-ROM.

Indo-Chinese Tiger. Index Stock Photography. Available: http://www.indexstock.com/pages/wildcats.htm

Giant Panda. San Diego Zoo. Available: http://www.sandiegozoo.org/Zoo/panda_facts.html