Wildlife includes all animals, plants, and other organisms that live in natural or semi-natural habitats. It includes species that live in zoos and other captive environments as well as those found in the wild at refuges, parks, and sanctuaries. Wildlife includes fish, birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. It also includes insects and other invertebrates. Wildlife is often seen as an important part of nature.
Wildlife can be an important source of revenue for countries through tourism and recreational activities. Wildlife conservation is a global concern and the preservation of wildlife and its habitat is of utmost importance for humans and other living beings. Wildlife species have been threatened by rapid industrialization and human interference in their environment. Wildlife can be endangered due to many reasons, such as loss of habitat, food shortage, increase in predators, extreme weather conditions and environmental pollution.
The largest threat to wildlife is the rapidly increasing human population and its impact on the planet. Human activities, such as destroying forests to build homes and cities and vacating areas for new industries, have caused a major decrease in wildlife numbers. In addition, humans have a need to consume certain animals for their fur, skin, teeth and horns. This has led to poaching, which is a serious problem in some places. The number of elephants in the Manas Sanctuary in Assam has drastically decreased because people have been hunting them for their tusks.
There are also a lot of diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans. These are called zoonotic diseases, and include rabies, West Nile virus, Lyme disease, histoplasmosis, salmonellosis and granulocytic ehrlichiosis. These diseases are a major threat to human health and can cause a lot of illness in the population.
Wildlife biologists are responsible for communicating their research and findings to all kinds of audiences, from fellow scientists and wildlife managers to concerned citizens and elementary school students. They are skilled at identifying their audience and adjusting their tone, vocabulary, and structure to suit them. Wildlife biologists also contribute to ongoing scientific conversations by commenting on the work of their peers, and critiquing their methods and conclusions.
There are many things you can do to help wildlife in your area. For example, plant native species of trees, bushes and flowers in your yard to provide shelter and food for wildlife. You can also help by volunteering to restore native forest, grassland, and coastal ecosystems by planting or manually removing invasive plant species, and participating in trash clean-up events to reduce the amount of litter that threatens wildlife. You can also advocate for animal protection policies by contacting your elected officials and signing up for action alerts.