If you’re an animal or nature lover, then you’re probably concerned about the plight of endangered species. Many animal species are threatened due to factors such as loss of habitat, disease or being hunted. The Internet is a great source of information about endangered species, here are just a few places to learn more:
- Earth’s Endangered (earthsendangered.org) maintains an online listing of endangered species. You can browse an overall list of endangered animals, or search by animal type (i.e., reptile, bird or mammal). If you want to know what species are endangered in a specific location, use the location search tool to carry out your search by U.S. state, region or country. The website contains profiles of threatened species; the most-frequently viewed profiles include the cheetah, brown bear, African wild dog, and giant panda.
- The Wildlife Conservation Network is a nonprofit devoted to saving endangered species and their habitats. The organization’s website (wildnet.org) has lots of information about the group’s conservation projects. You can make donations online and 100 percent of your donation will be used for conservation of a specific endangered animal. Among the species supported by the Wildlife Conservation Network are the elephant, snow leopard and Ethiopian wolf.
- Rainforest 2 Reef (rainforest2reef.org) is the online home of a nonprofit that seeks to save a swath of rainforest in the Yucatan Peninsula. By preserving the rainforest and nearby reefs, many species can be preserved as well. Jaguars and birds are the focus of Rainforest 2 Reef’s conservation efforts. Donations help to save acres of rainforest and support research programs. An additional use of donations is to help start environmentally-friendly businesses.
By using the web, you can learn about endangered species and support projects that can save wildlife and their habitats for future generations.