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Endangered Animals Vs. Human Conflict

According to the World Wildlife Fund, human-wildlife conflict is one of the main challenges to the survival of many species. Human-animal conflicts occur when human beings and animals clash as a result of encroachment on territory, limited resources such as habitat and adverse activities of man like deforestation and poaching. This conflict has led to the endangerment, and even extinction, of several animal species.

  1. Growing Human Population

    • The growing human population rate has led to an increase in demand for natural resources like land. This factor is responsible for the decline in the number of endangered animals like the snow leopard, Sumatran tiger, Asian lion and elephants. In the quest to provide the needed resources to satisfy the demand of the population, the needs of man often overlap with that of animals. The deforestation of natural animal habitats to build homes, industries and to obtain resources like wood and food leads to clashes between humans and animals.

    Human-Animal Clashes

    • These clashes often have unpleasant consequences for either humans or animals. A report by the Food and Agriculture Organization indicates that the animal species exposed to human-animal conflicts are more prone to endangerment or extinction. This is due to factors like road traffic accidents, capture of animals in traps set for them, and intentional shooting, capture or poisoning. This type of decimation of animal species has far-reaching consequences because it upsets the balance of the ecosystem. All animals have a role that they play in the ecosystem. Endangered animals like the polar bear, great apes, tigers and elephants are primary consumers. Among the primary food sources of the polar bear are seals, and the bears help keep their numbers in check. When the number of polar bears becomes too few, the seals will flourish and put a strain on other natural resources like fish.

    Human Losses

    • Human-animal conflicts also lead to other problems including economic, health, social and safety issues. Elephants are endangered species that have suffered the loss of natural habitat. This is due to activities like conversion of their natural habitats to other uses like farms and the building of homes. This often leads to cases in which these elephants destroy agricultural food crops in their quest for food. Large predators like endangered tigers may seek human prey as their territories start to overlap more. This leads to the loss of human lives and retaliatory attacks on the tigers. Such attacks may take a toll on the social life of the human population in the area in question, as people may restrict their movements out of fear of the wild animals.

    Climatic Factors

    • The report by the Food and Agricultural Organization states that climate plays a role in the human-animal conflict. For example, in Kenya seasonal changes in rainfall affect the level of predation by wild animals, including endangered species. During drought periods, they congregate near limited water sources, where they can be easily killed by poachers. When the rains return, they disperse to their natural habitats.

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