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Endangered Animals for Children
The mountain gorilla is a truly exceptional animal that lives only in the high altitudes near the Virunga volcanoes. These volcanoes are found in the eastern African countries of Zaire, Uganda, and Rwanda. There are only about 700 of these gorillas alive today and they are the most endangered of all the gorilla species. These animals are hunted and killed, but they are also losing their only habitat as the forests are being destroyed to create livestock grazing areas. The beautiful Siberian Tiger is in extreme danger of surviving in the wild over the next 5 years because there are less than 200 that still roam the jungles and forests. These tigers are alive today because of special nature preserves created to house them in the wild. Many natives will attack the animals even in the preserve because the money made from killing one tiger is enough to feed his family for a year. In Britain, there are 14 different species of bats, and each of these species has been placed on the list of endangered animals. While some people are definitely not fond of these night loving creatures, they are very helpful in controlling the insect population. The rarest of all of Britain’s bats is the one that is known as the Greater Horseshoe Bat. There may only be 4000 of these velvet-winged creatures that are alive today. Western Australia is home to a cute little animal known as the Numbat, and this furry creature with its bushy tail, white markings, and button eyes is becoming extinct in its native woodlands. Today, it is only found in a very small southwestern section of Australia. As man expanded his reach into the wilderness, he often brought cats and dogs to the area and these animals have killed many of the gentle and harmless Numbats. Large-scale land clearing is also responsible for the decreased number of these adorable mammals. The Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean are all home to the Loggerhead Turtle (pictured above) who is among the top 10 of endangered animal species. People have hunted this beautiful creature for food and cosmetic industries used the fat of the turtle to make cosmetics. The poor Loggerheads are caught in fishing nets and left to perish, and today there are hotels and stores being built on their breeding and nesting sites. This is an original news article © The Kids Window
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