Speak Up for the Endangered Species

Jonathan A. Viera
8th Grade

What is the common and scientific name of the animal?

The Javan rhinoceros is also known as the Sunda rhinoceros or lesser one-horned rhinoceros, it's scientific name is Rhinoceros sondaicus.

Where does it live, what is its natural habitat?

Javan rhinos are the most threatened of the five rhino species, with only 58-68 individuals that live only in Ujung Kulon National Park in Java, Indonesia. Javan rhinos once lived throughout northeast India and Southeast Asia.

What does it eat? What is it's role in the ecosystem?

The Javan rhinos are herbivores, they eat a wide variety of plants, particularly their shoots, twigs, and fallen fruit. It prefers plants that flourish in sunny areas like forest clearings and shrub land, which it grasps with its prehensile upper lip. It is estimated that they eat up to 50kg (110lb) every day.
Rhinos are a keystone species who play an important role in ecosystems. Rhino grazing helps maintain savanna grasslands, which in turn supports numerous other species. Where there are more rhinos, researchers have discovered, there is greater biodiversity of plants and animals.

Animal Features

Physical description. The Javan rhino is dusky grey. It can reach up 4m in length and 1.7m in height, and weigh as much as 2.3 tons. It is very similar in appearance to the closely related greater one-horned rhino, although it is slightly smaller, has a much smaller head, and looser, less apparent skin folds.

Picture by: animalspot.net

Causes of endangerment.

Initially, numbers dropped due to hunting, but today the main threats to rhino are poaching and habitat loss. Poaching and illegal trade of rhino horn has increased sharply since 2007 and remains one of the major reason's rhino is still endangered today.

Ways that the Javan Rhinos can be helped. Laws or projects in existence to help the animal.

This animal can be helped by using social media like You Tube, Instagram, Facebook, etc. to promote the conservation of endangered animals. Making strict laws applicable to any person who put this animals in danger like poaching. Making foundations to help on the preservation of this endangered species and help with veterinary expenses. There are projects already that protect Javan Rhinos and other rhinos like the International Rhinos Foundation, Global Wildlife Conservation, Save the Rhino, World Wild Life Organization, US Fish and Wildlife Services and others.

If other animals are being poached then we got to help out Javan rhinos these animals are known for their horn people poach to get their horns so they can make profit out of it. So, people are taking care of these animals in Ujung Kulon National Park so they don't get poached. They are fed plants and they are living in a perfect place to be safe. People should be more careful with endangered animals because if we keep poaching them then we won't be able to have any more Javan rhinos, and it will be bad because they help out the ecosystem. So, people have to be more careful on what they kill and they should be punished. Because these animals are precious and they should be helped. To begin these animals have been endangered since 2011 and in 2020 right now there is 67 Javan rhinos right now. These animals should be helped because if we don’t, they will die out and it could affect the ecosystem and it will be bad for other animals. If we can help out these animals by keeping them safe, then we can have lots of Javan rhinos. It will take 20 years to at least have 1000 so we don’t have to worry about them being as endangered and they can be safe. Right now, they are in a safe place where people are keeping them there so they can reproduce and make more rhinos so they can go back to living in the wild and not have to worry about anything. If things are the way they are right now and they are like this we can make these Javan rhinos not go extinct and people like us do not have to worry about them being endangered like how they are right now. In order to maybe stop this, we could make laws that say don’t poach animals that their population are lower than 9,000 and if they do, they will get a huge fine. This way people don’t poach these poor animals. To continue we can take these animals and get them out in the wild and keep a watch in them and see what they do because they have to get used to the wild again. Because they were in a small place and they are taking care of in a certain way by people which is not good. Another way we can take care of them is not putting them into danger and always keep a watch on them not in a park but in the wild and make sure that they are ok and are not being poached. This way these animals don’t go extinct like how other animals went extinct that helped the world. If there is a law that could stop people poaching endangered animals then they could grow more in population. Javan rhinos should be helped as much because they are close to being extinct which is very bad. Long live the Javan rhinos believe that one way to increase these rhinos' populations is by making them stay in one place and they can reproduce. Also, we can have them be in peace and give them enough food so they can feel love in this world. We can make a law that will ban poaching these types of animals that are close to going extinct than they can grow in population. This way we can have a bunch of Javan rhinos and that we don’t have to worry about them anymore. Once we have the populations for Javan rhinos up then we can lay off for a bit and they can live their lives. Because back in 2011 there was a lot more Javan rhinos and now there is 67 which is very bad so we have to make this law that makes people not go poaching endangered animals and if they do, they will get a huge fine. That way they will never go poach Javan rhinos ever again. That way we can make the Javan rhinos grow in population. In conclusion we should save Javan rhinos by making a law that makes you not hunt endangered animals like how the Javan rhinos are. That way they can be a lot more in next 20 years so we don't have to worry about them when they are populated. But in order to do that we have to release the rhinos into the wild and make sure to keep a watch in them. To make sure that they are ok and that people aren't out there hunting them and breaking the laws. This would be a great way to stop animals from going extinct and that they stay alive and healthy so they can live on to the next world. We got to make sure that we keep Javan rhinos safe and that they are safe and not in any sort of danger in the world by other things.

What the ESA does or its purpose

The purpose of the ESA is to protect and recover imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend. It is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and the Commerce Department's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)

What led Congress to pass the ESA

Congress passed the Endangered Species Preservation Act in 1966, providing a means for listing native animal species as endangered and giving them limited protection. The Act also authorized the Service to acquire land as habitat for endangered species

How has the ESA passing affected the life of the animal?

The ESA passing had affected the animal now they aren't dying as much but there is only 72 and they need to keep making the population bigger

Any amendments the ESA may have, as well as what those amendments mean.

The Act also authorized the Service to acquire land as habitat for endangered species. In 1969, Congress amended the Act to provide additional protection to species in danger of "worldwide extinction" by prohibiting their importation and subsequent sale in the United States. This Act called for an international meeting to adopt a convention to conserve endangered species. One amendment to the Act changed its title to the Endangered Species Conservation Act.

What else should the federal government do in order to protect this animals?

The federal government should ban poaching for normal people but people with license can hunt and there won't be a lot of animals to be close to extinction

What can civilians do to help this animal?

They can give money to the foundations and also go to the place that they are being held at and help out and take care of them and they can make websites for people to donate on to help these animals.

Explain why monitoring these population trends is important in shaping our actions for the future

It is important for the future because if we don't do this the Javan rhinos will all die out and it will not be good because there is only 72 left in the world and we need to keep a watch on them.

Determine the percent of change in the population since the animal you chose went on endangered species list?

The largest number of species is 72, and the smallest number was 20. This is a 260 percent change on Javan rhino since they first went on the endangered species list. Now there is only 72 left in the world right now

Analyze and interpret population trends to predict extinction probability.

I believe that there is a probability that they will go extinct within the next years. The population of the Javan Rhinos is growing, but is very slow. The species that are at the present will die and they are only growing approximately 1.4 rhino's per year. I estimated that within the next 50 years there is a possibility that they will be extinct.

Speak Up for the Endangered Species

Science