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Endangered

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22 views

Endangered

Uploaded by

nadiaddennis
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Reading Booklet

Year 6 Reading Assessment - Non-Fiction

Endangered

Page 1 of 3
Endangered
Introduction
Endangered animals are those species that Some animals, like the bald eagle and the
are considered likely to become extinct, American alligator, were once on the brink
based on a current population trend. Their of extinction but are now known to be
numbers known in the wild are low and recovering.
thought to be decreasing.
Sadly, some species of animals are already What causes
now considered Extinct or Extinct in the
Wild, including the famous dodo, a flightless endangerment
or extinction?
bird thought to have been about one metre
tall. Further examples include the passenger
pigeon, the Tasmanian tiger and recently the Animal extinction can occur due to natural
West African black rhino. or human causes. Natural causes include
According to a recent update of the ‘Red change of climate or sea levels. In more
List’ produced by the International Union modern times, the most common causes
for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 834 are from human intervention such as
different species have now been classified as hunting or habitat destruction. There are
‘Extinct’ with another 69 as ‘Extinct in the other possibilities too such as pollution,
Wild’. new diseases, new predators or a single
catastrophic event.
Some other species are currently classed
as Endangered or Critically Endangered,
if facing a high or extremely high risk of Why save them?
extinction. There are further categories
Plants and animals can be extremely
including Vulnerable and Near-Threatened
important for the ecosystem of the Earth.
for species which may face a risk of
Species depend on each other for survival.
endangerment in the near future.
Aside from this, we want to be able to enjoy
A large proportion of primates (such as the beauty of nature and, once a species
apes, lemurs and monkeys) are at risk. becomes extinct, it has gone forever.
However, there are success stories too.

Black Rhino
Population: More than 5000

Status: Critically Endangered

Hunted for food or simply entertainment, the black


rhino population went into decline due to European
settlers in Africa during the 20th century. Despite
being one of the oldest groups of mammals on the
planet, their habitats have been destroyed and, for
many years, they have been killed for the illegal
trade of their horn.

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Endangered

Population: 880
Mountain Gorilla Status: Critically Endangered

Most surviving mountain gorillas currently live in


the African country of Uganda. The population
has suffered from years of war, hunting, habitat
destruction and disease. At one point, scientists
thought that the species would be extinct some years
ago. Fortunately, due to increased conservation
efforts, their numbers have been increasing again
in recent decades.

Population: None identified in the wild

South China Tiger Status: Functionally Extinct

In the 1950s, there were estimated to be around


4000 of the South China tigers living in the wild.
After decreasing rapidly for decades, the Chinese
government introduced a hunting ban in 1979
to prevent further decline. However, by 1996 the
population was estimated to be just around 50
individuals. Now, as it has not been seen in the
wild for more than 25 years, the South China
tiger has instead been considered by scientists as
‘functionally extinct’.

Giant Panda
Population: 1800 in the wild

Status: Endangered

Considerable efforts have gone into conservation


of the giant panda in recent years both in the wild
as well as captivity. Although the animals have
little in the way of natural predators, they have
seen their habitat destroyed by roads, railways
and other construction. Pandas play an important
role in the bamboo forests where they roam and
spread seeds to encourage growth of new plants. In
turn, this area remains home to many other animal
species that rely on the environment.

Page 3 of 3

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