GRANNY, WHAT'S A POLAR BEAR

[Guest guest]

GRANNY, WHAT'S A POLAR BEAR

Every day another story confirms that the world around

us is changing. From floods to droughts, our planet is

becoming a more hostile place. Experts disagree over

the extent of the damage to the Earth and whether we

can do anything about it, but there is agreement on

one thing - some animals, plants and even cities could

vanish within 50 years. Here are 10 things which may

disappear in our lifetime

EVERY day another story confirms that the world around

us is changing.

From floods to droughts, our planet is becoming a more

hostile place. Experts disagree over the extent of the

damage to the Earth and whether we can do anything

about it, but there is agreement on one thing - some

animals, plants and even cities could vanish within 50

years. Here are 10 things which may disappear in our

lifetime. POLAR BEARS

ONE effect of the melting of the ice caps is that

polar bears now face extinction.

Sea ice is expected to shrink by at least 50 per cent

this century and it could even disappear altogether.

But polar bears need the ice to hunt for seals, which

pop up through breathing holes

ORANG-UTANS

OF the goods in our supermarkets, around one in 10

contains palm oil, and 90 per cent of that comes from

Indonesia and Malaysia, the home of the orang-utan.

To keep up with demand,palm oil plantations are being

established at a massive rate, destroying the apes'

natural habitat.

There are now only 60,000 orang-utans left in the

world and

5000 are dying each year, meaning they could be

extinct in 12 years. And as females can only have one

baby every eight years, the chances of saving the

species are fading fast

PANDAS

EFFORTS to save the panda have been ongoing for more

than 20 years but they are still on the brink of

extinction.

Found only in China, poaching has long been a problem,

but despite extensive programmes aimed at boosting

numbers, it is estimated there are just 1600 left in

the wild.

Now that the Chinese economy is growing so quickly,

the pandas' habitat is also being taken over at an

alarming rate. Conservation attempts continue but with

captive breeding schemes proving difficult, the threat

of extinction remains

TIGERS

THERE are only 4000 wild tigers left in India, South

East Asia, the Himalayas and Far East Russia.

They are still hunted as much as ever, often for their

skin, but are also killed by farmers to stop them

eating cattle.

Deforestation is another major problem due to the

timber and mining trades as tigers need forests for

hunting, sleeping and raising cubs. So their chances

of survival diminish as the trees are cut down

ELEPHANTS

YOU'D be forgiven for thinking there is no longer a

market for ivory thanks to stringent controls in the

West, but you'd be wrong.

A ban on international ivory trading was introduced in

1989 but a market still exists in south-east Asia,

where it trades for nearly £300 a kilo.

That means the Asian elephant in particular is still

at risk from poachers, with only around 30,000 left in

the wild.

The African elephant is also under threat due to the

climate change.While their habitats are becoming

warmer and drier, migration isn't an option due to

human development

VENICE

A CENTURY ago, the streets of Venice would flood only

seven days a year on average. Now they flood on more

than 100.

Fifty years ago, the famous city was home to 175,000

people. Now

only 64,000 live there and the problem of rising sea

levels only makes their plight 10 times worse.

The risk of Venice being swallowed by the Adriatic has

never been greater and even the most ambitious plans

to save the city are not guaranteed to work.

Italian president Silvio Berlusconi suggested a

£3.1billion flood barrier, but many Venetians believe

it would turn the lagoon into a stagnant pond and

effectively destroy the city

CORAL REEFS

DUBBED " the rainforests of the ocean, " coral reefs are

also

under threat from global warming

A rise in the temperature of the sea by even one or

two degrees can destroy coral due to " bleaching " . It's

a stress reaction whereby the coral loses its colour,

leading to its death in extreme cases

ARCTIC ICE SHELF

WALKING to the North Pole could soon be a thing of the

past.

Most of Canada is now ice-free in the summer and, as

the widening

polar sea absorbs more heat from the sun, it only

accelerates the process.That means the Arctic Ocean

could be free of ice by the end of the century, which

will have dire consequences for the entire planet.

CACTUSES

WITH deserts spreading ever-wider, you'd assume cactus

plants would be the last thing to go but some of the

most recognisable species are under threat.

The cactus you'll see in any Western movie is the

Sanguaro, one of the biggest types in the world.

It's found in Arizona's Sonora desert, but the plant

is so in demand it's falling victim to rustlers

GALAPAGOS ISLANDS

SITUATED in the Pacific Ocean, the reptiles, birds,

plants and shorefish of the Galapagos Islands have

remained isolated in a unique environment to undergo

their own distinct evolution.

But now they're under threat from animals alien to the

island, which have been introduced by humans.

Goats, rats, cats and pigs have disturbed the balance

and threaten the survival of native species.

An extermination programme has begun but there's no

guarantee it will save the island's delicate

eco-system

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16320434 & method=full & siteid=66633 & \

headline=granny--what-s-a-tiger--name_page.html

 

 

 

Michelle Desilets

BOS UK

www.savetheorangutan.org.uk

www.savetheorangutan.info

" Primates Helping Primates "

 

Please sign our petition to rescue over 100 smuggled orangutans in Thailand:

http://www.thePetitionSite.com/takeaction/822035733

 

 

 

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