Last month, 2 endangered snakes were caught in the island of Hilo in Hawaii. They were the Boa Constrictor and the Albino Burmese Python. Other illegal animals that were also confiscated were lizards and other snakes. The threatening aspect of having these animals smuggled into an area that is not their natural habitat means that they turn into predators and find new prey. They could end up killing endangered animals in search for food and this is exactly what the Hawaiian authorities are concerned about.

In Bangkok, it is possible to get live endangered species in a market known as Chatuchak. If you can imagine visiting this market, it’s a veritable zoo of animals close to extinction like the start tortoises and leopard cubs. These animals come mainly from other Asian countries like Bangladesh where poverty is the main reason for the illegal trading.

Recently, a man from the UAE was caught trying to bring into Bangkok leopard cubs into Bangkok. The animals were in his hand carry luggage and it was the cries of the cubs that gave airport officials reason to be suspicious. When they opened the bags, they saw 7 leopard cubs, one baby cub, one marmoset and one baby gibbon. There have also been incidents of unclaimed luggage which, when opened after 10 days revealed endangered tortoises, turtles and Gharials from Nepal and India. The tortoises died from dehydration. The estimated worth of the animals left to die was about US$30,000.

Aside from being sold as status pets for the rich, some of these endangered animals are killed to make traditional  medicine and as a luxury meat. It is a sad situation that authorities from both borders have yet to find a solution for.

Animals who lose their homes permanently have to go and look for new homes. They will find a place, but the problem is, it’s likely to be populated by another species. Thus, ensues a fight over the land. Whichever animal wins, we suffer a loss, and the problem remains or even gets more complicated.

One instance of an animal that displaces others happened in some places in Asia like the Philippines. A South American sucker fish known as the Janitor fish somehow managed to find its way into a major river. It multiplied and became predator to the other fish living there, until that species of fish completely disappeared. Now, this river is inundated with Janitor fish, which is an inedible type of catfish, and has been a major loss of food source for the people living near the river.

This loss was manifested on several levels. For the Janitor fish, it lost its natural habitat and had to adapt. The other fishes became endangered and eventually disappeared from the river. Finally, the people lost their source of food.

Animals can also leave an area voluntarily because they can no longer sustain life in their original habitat. The migration will upset the biological diversity. They even become mutant species because they have to face certain challenges, just the way dog breeds have produced mixed breeds, which is cross between two breeds.

Even if just one species becomes extinct, the delicate balance swings wildly, even if the effects are not immediately seen. For example, when the kangaroo-rat was removed from the desert as part of a study, the desert turned into grassland, and this affected the desert plants and other animals living there.

In short, imagine playing Jenga! or any other similar game. One block can tip the whole tower, causing it to collapse. This is how important each and every animal species is, and why we should give endangered animals more than a couple of dollars a year.

An obvious effect on our lives is that the animal that would feed on the one that became extinct would suddenly have no food source, and a domino effect would occur. The animal could also adapt and start eating something else, taking food away from other animals. The end result would be many animals fighting over food, and only the strong will survive.

If you will notice, many of the endangered animals are not the strong predators. If they are, then their problem is a shift in their natural habitat or humans hunting them down. It is possible that animals will begin to turn into mutants and start a new species, just like a dog would mate with another breed, and the offspring will be a cross between 2 breeds.

In addition, food like fresh-water mussels, which has over a thousand sub-species, some of which are now placed under the endangered species, are no longer available to eat. Many adults remember eating these flavorful food items as children. This something their children will never experience. Since this mussels and mollusks are natural water filters, the risk of their becoming extinct will cause the quality of water to suffer. In places where they grow, should they suddenly disappear, humans will no longer be able to swim on those water, or drink from that source. This is because without the mussels, bacteria will grow and contaminate the water. It will also kill the fish and other living things in the area.

This is just one of the endangered species. To think, there are thousands of animals all over the world on the brink of being becoming wiped out. Many animals have already become extinct, and while it is true that we have continued to live our lives normally, it is less colorful and dramatic. The acceptable rate of animal extinction according to the experts is one species for ever million species a year, with a new species replacing it to sustain the equilibrium. That isn’t happening because the current rate is exponential. For this reason, many scientists are claiming that we are facing the 6th mass extinction, not from natural causes, but because of man-made products and events like pollution, exploitation, and global warming.

Reference: Illustrated Encyclopedia of endangered animals.