Category Plants & Animals

When people bring new species into a habitat, they can threaten local plants and animals.

The new plants and animals can also cause big changes in their new habitat.

Plant-eaters take the food of local animals, while new hunters kill local wildlife.

People brought mongooses to hunt rats, but they became pests.

People have brought new animal hunters to many areas. Mongooses were introduced to Puerto Rico to hunt rats. But they soon threatened local snakes and spread the disease rabies to other animals on the island.

Rabbits brought to Australia nibble pastures bare.

New wildlife brought to Australia caused great changes there. Some of the newcomers took over from local species.

European settlers released rabbits in Australia. The new arrivals bred quickly and became pests, stripping grasslands bare. This left nothing for local species. Rabbits are now killed as pests.

Water hyacinth is now a pest on many waterways.

New plants as well as animals can become pests when they thrive in their new homes.

In the 19th century, a pretty plant called the water hyacinth from South America was released in lakes and ponds in North America, Africa and Asia. It spread quickly and now completely chokes waterways in many areas.

Hedgehogs brought to the Hebrides steal birds’ eggs.

Animals of remote islands are particularly threatened by new predators because they are often not used to being hunted.

On the lonely Hebrides Islands in Scotland, local seabirds are threatened by hedgehogs. These were brought to the islands to eat snails and slugs in people’s gardens, but they now prey on birds’ eggs.

Scientists are trying to reduce the numbers of hedgehogs on the islands. But there is a lot of disagreement between the bird lovers and the hedgehog lovers.

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All over the world, wildlife groups are working to save rare wildlife. This is called conservation.

Creating nature reserves helps to protect rare species. This saves whole areas of habitat.

People also need to take better care of nature everywhere. We should live in ways that don’t harm wildlife.

Tourists visit reserves to see rare animals such as these manatees.

Many people visit reserves to see wild plants and animals in natural settings. The visitors pay a fee which helps to pay for conservation work in the park. This is called eco-tourism.

Reserves also provide jobs and money for local people. Rare mammals called manatees are protected in US coastal reserves.

This coral reef is in a nature reserve.

In many parts of the world, reserves and national parks now protect wild areas. Building and mining is banned in these areas, and no one is allowed to pick plants or harm wild animals.

Marine reserves are just as important as parks on land. The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is a protected coral reef.

Ladders help salmon to swim upriver to lay their eggs.

Many animals make yearly journeys to safe places where they can breed. Fish such as salmon, birds and whales all make these regular journeys, called migrations. Salmon swim upriver to breed. If dams block their way, the fish cannot breed successfully.

Many dams now have ladders. A ladder is a series of steps and pools, one above the other, that help the salmon to swim upriver.

Wildlife workers protected this rare bird by taking it to a tiny new island home.

Endangered animals sometimes have to be moved to places of safety, called sanctuaries, for their own protection. In New Zealand, the introduction of cats and other predators brought the flightless Takahe to the edge of extinction.

Conservationists took some of the last birds and released them on a tiny island offshore, which was first made safe from predators. Cats, weasels, and rats were removed to make the island safe.

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As human numbers grow, more and more wild land is used to grow crops and raise animals.

Today many farmers also use chemicals to grow bumper crops. These harm wild creatures.

Fields that were once home to all kinds of wildlife now hold just one crop.

Chemicals that kill weeds and pests kill all kinds of wildlife.

Many farmers spray their crops with chemicals to get rid of weeds and insects. These poisons kill all kinds of wildlife. However, organic farmers grow crops without using chemicals. Many more species are found on their farms.

Prairie chickens almost died out due to habitat loss in the US.

Wild grasslands such as the American prairies once covered large areas on mangy continents.

Now much of this wild land has been ploughed up to grow crops. This has driven wild birds such as prairie chickens to the point of extinction.

Goats have eaten all the grass on this farm in Africa.

Farmers rear herds of cattle, sheep and goats on land that is too poor for crops. But sometimes domestic animals strip all the vegetation, so wild creatures have nothing to eat.

If all the grass is eaten, winds and storms can blow or wash away the soil. This problem is called erosion.

Barn owls can be poisoned by chemicals used in farming.

When farmers spray their fields to get rid of pests, wild animals are affected too. The poison can spread through the food chain.

Mice absorb the chemicals when they eat grain that has been sprayed. The poison is stored in their bodies. Barn owls that eat poisoned mice may die, too.

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Some animals and plants are rare because people take them from the wild and sell them.

People who steal rare animals and plants are called poachers. Most poached animals become pets. Others end up in zoos.

In the past, zoos treated animals badly. But many zoos today are helping to save rare species.

Some poachers steal young apes.

Poaching for the pet trade threatens apes such as orang-utans, as well as small creatures like reptiles, fish and even spiders.

The poachers usually kill the adult apes and steal their babies because they are small and easier to manage. Many baby apes also die because their new owners don’t look after them properly.

People capture parrots for sale as pets.

Most animals taken from the wild do not thrive away from home. Captured animals are frightened and confused. Many are sold abroad. On the journey they are often kept in cramped cages. Many die on the way.

Ninety types of parrot are endangered because so many birds have been captured as pets.

Many zoos today are trying to save rare species like condors.

In the past, animals in zoos were not always well treated. Some were kept in small cages. A few species almost died out because too many were captured for zoos.

Nowadays, zoos often help to save rare species, by breeding the animals in captivity. If breeding is successful, the young animals may be released into the wild.

Animals born in the wild do not usually make good pets.

If your family buys a pet, make sure that is has been bred from captive animals, not taken from the wild. The pet shop should tell you where the animal came from.

Parrots, reptiles, fish and other animals bred in captivity make better pets than wild ones, because they are more used to humans and easier to look after. Make sure you find out about the food and conditions your pet needs.

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For thousands of years, people have hunted animals for meat and for their skins.

People once hunted with simple weapons. But modern weapons make killing easy. Hunters may soon wipe out some animals.

Some people hunt animals for sport. We also kill sharks and tigers because they frighten us.

People kill cheetahs for their beautiful fur.

            Around the world, many kinds of animals are still hunted for their skins and other body parts. Big cats such as cheetahs are killed for their fur, which is used to make expensive clothes.

            Elephants and rhinos are hunted for their tusks and horns, which are used to make ornaments. A lot of this killing is now against the law, but it still goes on.

Chimpanzees are now rare because of hunting.

Hundreds of years ago, people lived by hunting wild animals and gathering plant food. Now farms and ranches provide the food we need, but in some countries, hunting still goes on.

In Africa, rainforest animals are hunted and sold as “bush meat”. Threatened species include gorillas and leopards.

Farmers set traps for foxes that steal chickens and lambs.

Dangerous creatures such as tigers, sharks and poisonous snakes are hunted because people are frightened of them.

Farmers set traps for foxes and wolves because they sometimes kill farm livestock. All kinds of other animals die in the traps.

Passenger pigeons died out because of sport hunting.

Hunting also goes on in the name of sport. In the space of just a few centuries, European hunters wiped out a bird called the passenger pigeon in North America.

Passenger pigeons were once found in huge numbers, but their large flocks made easy targets for European hunters. The very last passenger pigeon died in a zoo in 1914.

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Factories, power stations and cars give off waste gases. These pollute the atmosphere.

This pollution is trapping the Sun’s heat near the Earth. This is helping to make the weather warmer.

This is called “global warming”. It is already causing problems for wildlife in many parts of the world.

Global warming threatens coral reefs rich in sea life.

Coral reefs are living communities of sea creatures called polyps. These reefs provide a home for fish and many other creatures. However, coral polyps can only thrive in clear, shallow water of a certain temperature.

Warmer water, rising sea levels and pollution are all harming the coral, causing a threat to other reef life.

Global warming is melting the polar ice. This threatens penguins.

As temperatures rise, the ice in the Polar Regions is beginning to melt. This threatens the survival of polar animals such as seals, penguins and polar bears.

The melting ice is making sea levels rise. Whole islands may one day disappear beneath the waves, wiping out local wildlife.

Climate change may have wiped out the Golden Toad.

Global warming is causing swamps and pools to dry out in many areas. This threatens amphibians such as the European natter jack toad.

In Central America, scientists report that the Golden Toad has already died out, probably due to warming in its forest habitat.

We can all help to reduce the damage caused by global warming.

We all add to the problem of global warming as we travel in cars and planes that give off waste gases, and use energy produced by power stations. So everyone can help to reduce the effects of global warming.

Switching off machines when you’re not using them helps to save energy. Walking, cycling or using public transport causes less pollution than going by car.

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