Historical Context
Since the Stone Age, humans have had a fascination with animals. The earliest cave paintings, such as those in Lascaux, depicted ice age mega fauna such as mammoths, bison, horses, bears, and lions. However, as humans progressed their relationship with nature changed. Throughout recorded history, humans have been responsible for the extinctions of hundreds of species such as the dodo, the quagga, the thylacine, and many more. Species continue to go extinct today. The most recent extinction has been that of the Baiji river dolphin who was “declared functionally extinct after an expedition late in 2006 failed to record a single individual after an extensive search of the animal’s entire range” (10 Recently Extinct Animals). However, long before the Baiji River Dolphin went extinct, people began taking interest in the preservation of wildlife and wild places. Since the progressive era, humans began to take interest in the protection of the environment. For instance, “explorers of the American frontier brought back beautiful images of wild lands. Seeing these pictures of the nation's wilderness, people began to appreciate and value the country's natural wonders (The Evolution of the Conservation Movement, 1850-1920 History).
Many experts consider the most important supporter of conservation to be the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt’s passion for conservation began with a visit to the badlands. For Roosevelt, “the prospect of big game hunting had initially brought him to the West, but, by the time he arrived, the last large herds of bison were gone, having been decimated by hide hunters and disease” (Theodore Roosevelt and Conservation). Having witnessed the alarming decline of American bison and the destruction of the grasslands due to cattle overgrazing, Roosevelt felt great responsibility for the nation’s wildlife and wild lands. Roosevelt used his presidential authority to create the U.S. Forest Service to protect wildlife. Today, wildlife conservation is a major issue that continues to be addressed here in the US and worldwide. However, critically endangered wildlife in other countries, such as elephants, rhinos, and tigers, continue to decrease in large numbers (Many Countries Failing to Prevent Illegal Wildlife Trade: WWF Report).Therefore, greater effort must be put in to stop illegal wildlife trafficking and the preservation of ecosystems.
Many experts consider the most important supporter of conservation to be the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt’s passion for conservation began with a visit to the badlands. For Roosevelt, “the prospect of big game hunting had initially brought him to the West, but, by the time he arrived, the last large herds of bison were gone, having been decimated by hide hunters and disease” (Theodore Roosevelt and Conservation). Having witnessed the alarming decline of American bison and the destruction of the grasslands due to cattle overgrazing, Roosevelt felt great responsibility for the nation’s wildlife and wild lands. Roosevelt used his presidential authority to create the U.S. Forest Service to protect wildlife. Today, wildlife conservation is a major issue that continues to be addressed here in the US and worldwide. However, critically endangered wildlife in other countries, such as elephants, rhinos, and tigers, continue to decrease in large numbers (Many Countries Failing to Prevent Illegal Wildlife Trade: WWF Report).Therefore, greater effort must be put in to stop illegal wildlife trafficking and the preservation of ecosystems.