By Madeline L., Seventh Grade, Krieger Schechter Day School of Chizuk Amuno Congregation
Every year, millions of animals are killed due to hunting. This, along with habitat destruction and pollution, is one of the most common causes of animal extinction, as noted on the Animal Matters website.
According to the World Animal Foundation, over the past 40 years, approximately 52% of the world’s wildlife has gone extinct due to hunting, fishing, or animal abuse. Even though some animals are overpopulating planet Earth, such as jellyfish and cows, killing just one animal can potentially hurt an entire species.
There are many things that could go wrong when hunting animals, such as accidentally killing another hunter or hiker, shooting an illegal or endangered animal and contracting diseases from the hunted animals. According to the International Hunter Education Association, about 1,000 people in North America are injured or killed due to hunting incidents every year.
Animal traps are widely used to catch and kill animals. These traps catch innocent animals that have never harmed anybody. This is a real problem because traps can catch endangered species that we cannot afford to lose.
Hunting is especially unfair for those who consider it a hobby or do it just for fun. This is useless and very unjust; there are many different activities to do instead. Archery, for example, is a good alternative because one still gets to practice their skills but with a bow, arrow and target –not an animal. Another option is paintball where people can practice their shooting skills without harming a living creature.
Hunting also has a major impact in the food supply chain. If too many of one species are hunted, then the supply chain is affected and animals’ nutrition is compromised. For example, if humans fish a large portion of the salmon population in the ocean, then bears may be left without enough food, which could lead to starvation and eventual extinction. As long as more animals keep going extinct, there will not be enough protein to supply living things and their habitats.
Another common reason for extinction is pollution. Pollution kills many animals, specifically sea creatures. According to the website Green Matters, over one million sea creatures die each year due to entanglement in plastic or choking on plastic. The website also states that there are 51 trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean right now. This is a problem because if this much plastic keeps getting thrown into the ocean, then there will not be enough ocean life left to sustain the environment.
Every day too many animals lose their lives due to hunting, pollution, fishing, and much more. There are a variety of different ways that animals could be killed by humans. These different ways of killing animals are bad for the ecosystem and could lead to animal extinction, which will affect all of us.
Madeline L. is a seventh grade student at the Krieger Schechter Day School of Chizuk Amuno Congregation.
Jmore Juniors Noah S. and Eli S. take a look at the differences between the Jewish communities of Baltimore and Chicago.
Madeline L., a seventh grade student at Krieger Schechter Day School, writes about the phenomenon that has been Starbucks over the past half-century.
An eighth grade student at Krieger Schechter Day School, Jmore Juniors writer Micah B answers an array of questions from his peers.
Jmore Junior Eitan Beck writes about the pros and cons of having electric cars in the future.