in my mail----
"Dear Friend,
On April 17, CNN ran a headline story about "the last known male northern white rhino left in the entire world."
42 years old, the elderly rhino (named Sudan) will live out his remaining days at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in central Kenya. He remains in the constant company of several armed guards, who are his 24-hour protection against the violent poachers who seek his tusks - which are highly valuable on the Asian black market.
According to Ol Pejeta's website, human beings are the sole threat to white rhinos. They have few predators in the wild. In 2014, over 1,000 rhinos were killed in Africa for their horns for illegal export to the far east. There are only 5 northern white rhinos left on Earth - and all of them live in captivity.
There are NO northern white rhinos left in the wild.
However, the threat isn't just to African rhinos - human population growth is threatening animal species all over the world. The Discovery Channel website recently published an article titled "Animals That Could Become Extinct in Your Lifetime." A recent study found 15 species - ranging from birds to amphibians to small mammals - which are facing extinction very soon.
What did the study find as a primary reason these animals face extinction? You guessed it: "High probability of its habitat becoming urbanized." Dalia Conde of the University of Southern Denmark, the study's lead author, notes: "Conservation opportunity evaluations like ours show the urgency of implementing management actions before it is too late."
Our world is changing. Global biodiversity is disappearing.
Human population growth is the primary reason.
All of NPG's publications are designed to highlight the link between population growth and its inevitable impact on our environment -including our precious animal species. These valuable resources remain FREE OF CHARGE, thanks to the generous support of members like you. "
http://www.npg.org
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