In my first blog post about wildlife preservation I talked about all of the places out there that helped endangered animals. So for to further expand my knowledge and research I visited the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. I did a field observation of half of the trail and was able to spot some animals out and about. Since I went in the morning there was not much to see because most animals came out at night but what I did find was enough for what I needed.

The data I gathered was abe to help in my original research because I was able to see how much of an issue wildlife preservation is. While at the refuge I saw birds, swans, and even some horses. The animals themselves aren’t constantly cared for like you would see at a zoo but the ones here just live like they would in the wild but without having to worry about the dangers of being killed. So comparing this to what I heard about all of the endangered animals has really opened my eyes more as to how bad they have it.

Something I still have questions about is how are the rescued endangered animals cared for. Since I know that there are ones out there that find help they need and are going extinct for different reasons, I wonder how they are cared for. Another question I have which is revolved around this is how do the animals in the wildlife get there food. If all animals there are to be protected then how can they at least surrive food wise. For example if there was an eagle that ate squirrels in the wildlife, but that squirrel was also there for protection then how does it work out so that both can survive?

While at the wildlife center there are some things that I observed and noticed. One of those things were that the other people there were mostly adults and more importantly with there own pets. There were a few kids I noticed there but they were also with parents. But one of the adults I noticed there was actually there to take pictures just like me, except he seemed a lot more professional. He had an actual camera and possible a notepad with him. If I could have stayed longer i would have asked him if he came to this place daily or what other places he went to. Looking back on what I did there only made me realize what more I could have done.

To end it all off I think that my field observation went well. In the future I would have liked to find more animals since was a little bit harder to do during the morning and also maybe ask around from other people on what they have seen here.

In Africa, African Wild Dogs used to range to 500,000 in 39 countries. But now because of issues like roadkill and destroying habitats, there are only thought to be about 6,600 left. Seeing that big of a change in the world is quite upsetting, especially when there are tons of other endangered animals out there. Just from seeing those few sentences I can tell that there are some people who would already like to read more into this topic and how much of an impact this has in the world.

Personally I feel connected to this topic because I love animals. I know it seems like such a basic thing to say but it’s really is true. I haven’t had any real pets besides from a turtle if that counts but if or whenever I see a pet in public I take any chance I can to pet them and be all over them. I think this topic on endangered animals and protecting their habitats is something others should know because besides from them being needed for loving and caring for, but as a source of inspiration. From what I heard from The Wildlife Conservation, protecting animals and their habitats lets us protect the planet as a whole. There are so many things that we can still learn about them. Plus, they haven't done anything to us, there just species living on the Earth same as us. So there's no reason to hurt the space they live in in any way, shape, or form.

Now, for those wondering what some of the issues going around are, there's a lot. But I picked out some of the worst ones I saw. Starting with small wild cats very little is known about them but that's what makes it much of a problem. Of all the unique different types of animals out there if you can’t say much for just a simple cat then there's the problem right there. But from what was gathered these small cats are being threatened by loss of habitats, killing, and conflicts with humans, livestock and domestic animals. They can be found in parts of South America, Asia, and Europe.

Moving onto another animal that is in need of help is the Ethiopian Wolf. These wolves are one of the rarest and most endangered canid in the world so that on it’s own speaks for itself. But ironically another thing that stops the wolves from thriving is the growth of the human population. With more and more humans in the Ethiopian highlands it forces the wolves out only into domestic dogs that carry diseases. As a result of these diseases three out of four of the wolves die. Now with only 500 left to remain in the wilds of Ethiopian people want to do anything they can to find a place for these animals and to get them treated for their diseases.