As lobby groups and environmental organisations continue to push governments across the world into taking drastic measures to curb the acceleration of global warming, it is perhaps fair to say that other environmental issues may be in danger of being pushed aside. People need to remember that climate change is not the only scourge to the health of our planet; the protection of endangered species, for instance, remains a paramount concern to many people intent on the preservation of natural wildlife across the world.

What makes a species ‘endangered’? Generally speaking, a species can be said to be in danger of extinction if it is few in number or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters. The twentieth century saw the importance of protecting certain species from extinction – particularly with the pioneering efforts of organisations like the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which has been protecting endangered species since its inception in 1961.

The UN estimates that nearly 100 species are lost every day – a staggering statistic. The major species protected by groups like the WWF include: tigers, great whales, marine turtles, elephants, gorillas, of which fewer than 650 are left, and giant pandas, of which only 800 are estimated to exist in the wild today.

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In the world of animals, it’s not just the endangered animals but every living creature that’s worthy of our caretaking. It’s hard for me to be so all inclusive, because visions of giant cockroaches are creeping into my mind’s eye, but the truth is that every living thing has a place.

I’m not one to believe that animals have the exact same rights as people, (otherwise we’d have to put aside obedience training funds in equal amounts to little Johnny’s college fund) but they certainly do have the right not to be treated cruelly without purpose or meaning.

And to protect species in danger of disappearing forever, we could take the following steps:

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The rain forests are located around the equator, which is present between the tropic of cancer and the tropic of Capricorn. The rainforests are mainly located in the Central and South America, Africa, India, Southeast Asia and parts of Indonesia and Australia.

The rainforests are home to many animals. A general estimate is that almost half of the world’s animal species are found in rainforests. The rainforests are the oldest ecosystems on earth. The temperature in these rainforests is around 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the year. With such temperature it is easy for the rainforest animals to survive even during the freezing cold or in the hot summers. Since there is an abundance of water found in these forests, the animals don’t have to search for water.

You will not find mammals in the rainforest, but the majority of rainforest animals you will find are the millions of creepy crawlies living in every layer of the rainforest. There are approximately more than 50 million species of invertebrates living in the rainforests.

The regular search for food, water, sunlight and space for living is a match between the different species living there. The rainforest animals adapt to eating the plants or animals which the other species do not eat. Some animals have even developed a connection with the other species. The birds and animals like to eat the fruits that are grown on trees, and the fish of the rainforests depend on the fruits dropped by the tress. This helps the trees in spreading their seeds to the other parts of the forest.

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