Endangered Animals Term Papers

The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service currently lists 517 U.S species of animals and 746 U.S. species of plants as either threatened or endangered.  As such, those animals that have been designated are afforded protection under conservation and preservation laws.  While it is clear that conservation efforts by the U.S. government have indeed saved a number of indigenous species, what is often difficult to discern from research is how many individual members of a particular species are saved each year.  Although experimental colonies—which track the growth and development of particular species in various parts of the U.S.—are designed to be reflective of trends in population growth throughout the region, the reality is that there are no discernable methods for delineating how actual populations of species are thriving in the U.S.

Given the quagmire of problems that exist in developing salient methods for tracking and fostering growth in species populations, this investigation considers the West Indian manatee population.  Trichechus manatus was designated as endangered on March 11, 1967.  Since this time period, a number of steps have been taken to ensure the viability of the population.  However, despite continuing efforts to protect the manatee and foster its population growth, the animal is still listed as endangered .  As such, this research seeks to delineate what steps have been taken to protect this animal, how effective these steps have been overall, and what can be done in the future to ensure the viability of this species.

Of all the animal species currently listed s endangered, the manatee has garnered a large amount of public attention.  Non-violent aquatic animals, manatees often reside in “shallow, slow-moving rivers, estuaries, saltwater bays, canals and coastal areas”.  Although the manatee is strictly an herbivore and has no known natural enemies, collisions with watercraft in their natural environment coupled with death via problems with pollution and habitat decimation have drastically reduced the number of manatees that currently exist.

Most human-related manatee mortalities occur from collisions with watercraft.  Other causes of human-related manatee mortalities include being crushed and/or drowned in canal locks and flood control structures; ingestion of fish hooks, litter and monofilament line; entanglement in crab trap lines; and vandalism.  Ultimately, however, loss of habitat is the most serious threat facing manatees today.  There are approximately 3,000 West Indian manatees left in the United States .

Adding to the problems associated with fostering the manatee population, investigators have reported that despite the fact that the manatee is protected as an endangered species, in 2002 alone a record number of 95 manatees were killed by boaters in the Florida region.  The investigation goes on to conclude that if protection against the manatees is not more heavily enforced, “there won’t be enough manatees within 100 years to sustain their population”.

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