Life is a continuous process, involving the birth, survival, living, and then eventually death. It’s something every human, mammal, insect, and organism goes through. However, the stages of life are cut short for some. Hunting is a necessity for survival. Dragonflies hunt mosquitos. Songbirds hunt dragonflies. Foxes and Eagles hunt songbirds. Humans hunt Foxes for pelts and Eagles for feathers. A bird hunts for its survival. Humans hunt for their food and enjoyment. A fox hunts until it is full. Humans hunt until they’ve got what they’ve wanted. Hunting isn’t evil, as it is practiced by many species across the world and is present in the majority of ecosystems. Except, people don’t live in a “normal” ecosystem. They live in cities and towns where the soil is paved over, the trees are cut down, and the animals are forced outside. So, when ideas of over-hunting, gathering, or land flattening for crops gets brought up, people are the ones who least understand it and are led to believe that animals are not as important as they truly are. The Red Wolf, Florida Panther, Black Footed Ferret, and Ivory-billed Woodpecker are all examples of endangered species that are on the brink of extinction because of over-hunting, harvesting, or crop production. 

Red wolves are considered critically endangered, being the rarest wolf in the world. Red wolves resemble a coyote and wolf, being 45 to 80 pounds and 26 inches in height. The Red Wolf is only found in the United States. Their territory

used to span from Texas to Pennsylvania, however, now it is only located in northeastern North Carolina, with only sixteen left. Their ultimate decline is caused by poaching and vehicle strikes. Red wolves are poached for their pelts by trappers or shot by farmers to protect their domestic animals.

Red wolves are needed in their ecosystems to control primary consumer populations, such as deer and rabbits. Without the red wolf hunting these species, deer and rabbits will overpopulate their environments. Leading to overgrazing on grass and saplings, causing the forest to lose its diversity and young trees, eventually devastating all plant and animal species. Song birds are one of the first animals to leave because the trees they live in soon disappear.

The Florida Panther is considered endangered with just over 200 left in the wild. While its population has grown, from 25 in the 1970s to 200 in 2020, the cougar remains a threatened species. Florida Panthers used to roam across the United States but hunting and development has had a detrimental impact on their population and geographical location. Today, they live in South Florida, populating pinelands, tropical hardwood hammocks and mixed freshwater swamp forests. These predators are mainly endangered because of vehicles and habitat loss, which they need a lot of. A male will claim 200-square-mile territories and are aggressive with other males if their territory overlaps, leading to death for some. With more and more people living in Florida and the sea-level rise, Florida Panthers become too vulnerable.

 Furthermore, there were 21 dead Florida Panthers in 2023 because of vehicle strikes and at least 250 killed under non-natural circumstances between 2014 and now. If the panther species were to die off there would be an imbalance in the ecosystem and environmental consequences. Like the Red Wolf, the Florida Panther is an apex predator that hunts white-tailed deer. If they disappeared, white-tailed deer would be in abundance and throw off the balance, lowering the biodiversity and causing more car and deer collisions. 

The Black-Footed Ferret is yet again another endangered species because of human development and impact. The Black-footed ferret is not only native to North America but is also the only ferret species native to the continent, with only 300 individuals left in the wild. They only inhabit prairie dog colonies, living between Saskathewan, Canada and Chihuahua, Mexico. Their geographical range may seem big to be considered an endangered species, but the ferrets were on the brink of extinction in the 1970s before efforts to breed them started. This effort helped the ferrets population grow, however, sadly to say, their population is declining once again. Because these ferrets steal the homes of prairie dogs, which are their main prey, their numbers are decreasing. Prairie dog populations are in decline, so their lack of appearances are mirrored by black-footed ferrets. Both of these animals are endangered due to a lack of suitable habitat and habitat conversion to farmland or human settlement. Ferrets are Prairie dogs biggest predators, their size and nocturnal nature enables them to sneak into prairie dog burrows at night whilst the rodents are asleep. Without these ferrets, the prairie dog population would rise, which may be good at first considering they’re an endangered species, but if they were to overpopulate their ecosystem, disease would spread, genetic diversity would dwindle, and there would be fragmentation effects. Another variable to consider are the animals that hunt ferrets. Without the black-footed ferrets, the variety of species to hunt by other predators will narrow, causing their populations to decrease. 

The Ivory-billed Woodpecker is a critically endangered bird, if not extinct. These birds used to inhabit the bottomland hardwood forests and temperate coniferous forests of the southeastern United States and Cuba. However, its range was significantly restricted because of habitat destruction and hunting, considered as endangered in the early 1880s. The bird was last seen in 1944 in Louisian, however, there have been unconfirmed sightings since then. Whether the woodpecker is extinct or not still remains controversial. The Ivory-billed woodpecker was and still is a secretive bird, with no new sightings since 1944 but compiled evidence by scientists showing that the bird still exists. The Ivory-billed woodpecker is the largest woodpecker in the United States and the fourth biggest one in the world with a wingspan of roughly 30 inches and a length of 20 inches. The woodpecker may be near extinction, but it still fights to control insect populations, drilling cavities into trees and eating the bugs inside. Without woodpeckers, Spotted Owls and other birds would have fewer places to nest, Northern flying squirrels wouldn’t have safe hiding places, and the balance of insects would be disrupted. All of this leads to the endangerment and extinction of native species and completely destroys environments and human health. While the woodpecker is on the brink of extinction, another bird has been there and miraculously survived and are now thriving. 

Bald Eagles used to be near extinction due to hunting and pesticides, but are now soaring throughout North America. In 1963 the Bald Eagle population was at an all time low of 417, largely because of the pesticide DDT. DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane) was used for insect control in crop and livestock production, institutions, homes, and gardens. The pesticide would get washed away, contaminating waterways and fish, leading to weakened eggshells and the death of bird hatchlings. The pesticide was banned by the EPA in 1972 because of public concern. The U.S Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency were slowly prohibiting many uses of DDT while works were published, the main one being Silent Spring by Rachel Carson to inform the public of this harmful pesticide. Bald Eagles were saved from extinction and are now thriving from the help from people in the community and scientists. When people come together, they can create a miraculous turn of events. 

Even you can do something to save these wonderful species from ceasing to exist. To protect endangered species, here are some changes to make in your day-to-day life: buy products from sustainable sources, avoid plastic use, recycle properly, use alternatives to pesticides if you garden, follow speed rules on land and in the ocean, plant hedges or native trees in your yard instead of fences, keep your cats inside, replace bird bath water often, let your lawn grow, and add native plants and wildflowers in your garden. On a bigger commitment level, consider visiting a national park, volunteer at animal shelters or sanctuaries that rehabilitates wildlife, host community fundraising events, participate in park, roadside, or beach cleanups, donate to conservation organizations, learn about the wildlife around you and educate others, and sign petitions to help local wildlife. You may feel helpless, as if your actions don’t matter, but they do. Doing any one of these things will help an organism in need. Learn, inform, take action. Your voice matters.