Many people know that there is a "Red Book", which includes endangered and rare animals, as well as plants of the world. But there is also a Black Book with a list of animals and plants that have disappeared forever, which a person will never see alive.
Every year, the number of some animal species is steadily declining as a result of changes in natural conditions and direct or indirect human impact on the environment. Therefore, there was an urgent need for tracking and accounting for the dynamics of the number of endangered species, and such concepts as “endangered”, “rare” animals appeared.
One of the reasons why some animal species are extremely rare is the natural habitat, which differs in certain characteristics from the outside world. Usually such territories are very small, and animals cannot leave them, as they are not adapted to other conditions, or the habitat is located on a remote island.
To understand why rare animals of the world disappear, it is best to consider examples from the history of human exposure to wildlife. The tragic history of the American bison is widely heard. According to rough estimates, before the colonization of North America, at least 60 million of these animals lived on its territory. Local tribes actively used bison as a natural source of food, clothing and housing. But they were treated with care, and in fact did not affect their numbers.
In the process of colonization of America, the ruthless mass extermination of animals began. At first they were shot uncontrollably for the sake of harvesting meat and skins. Then the deliberate destruction of the livestock began, because their herds impeded the construction of railways and the movement of trains, they trampled fields and impeded the development of agriculture. But the main reason for the extermination of bison was the deprivation of the Indian tribes of their livelihood, the destruction of the indigenous people and the seizure of their lands.
By the end of the 19th century, due to the reduction in numbers, bison could be classified as “rare animals”. But thanks to nature conservation enthusiasts, at present their livestock has been partially restored and saved from complete destruction.
Dodons were less fortunate. These birds lived on islands isolated from the world in the Indian Ocean, in conditions where there were no predators, and there was more than enough food. Birds led a terrestrial way of life and could neither fly nor hide.
After the discovery of the islands by sailors, the extermination of dodos as a source of food began. And cats and dogs brought to the islands easily ravaged their easily accessible nests on the ground. Thus, the destruction of this species of birds took place so quickly that it was not possible to save even museum stuffed animals. And old drawings with the image of dodo for an ignorant person look like a strange fantasy of the artist.
On the examples of destruction of the animal kingdom shown, it can be judged that people do not think about the future of the environment and about their tomorrow, and are ready to destroy everything that surrounds them for the sake of profit and momentary weakness. Including wildlife.
To date, virtually any wild animal living in a distance from humans can be classified as “rare animal species”. The territories of their habitat are constantly being developed by people. The animals themselves, under the pretext of conservation, are caught and placed in zoos and menageries, where they wither and die.
As a result of technological progress, the ecology is disturbed, and natural living conditions change. Many rare animals are not able to adapt to new conditions, they stop reproducing and eventually die out very quickly.
According to some scientists, if a person does not turn to face nature, then after a few generations there will be no animals or plants on the planet and, accordingly, the basic conditions for the existence of man himself will disappear.
