Logue 1

Kaylyn Logue
Mrs. Tyree
English III, Per. 6
28 February 2014
With Balance Comes Benefits
Whats an Eskimo Curl look like? Most people have no clue since the animal became
extinct in 1922 because of overhunting ("Endangered species"). An animal that is extinct simply
means that the species no longer exists anywhere on earth. Human and animal habitats must be
balanced in order to help prevent animal extinction, avoid animal attacks, and keep Gods plan
for all creation.
If there is a balance between humans and animals, lives will not be lost. The first victim
of extinction is believed to be dinosaurs ("Extinction"). Scientist found a layer that is still
unexplained today ("Extinction"). The layer is called the K-T boundary, which could have been
the result of a massive meteoroid that stuck the earth ("Extinction"). This is called the asteroid
impact theory, which is a probable explanation of the first major extinction because a meteoroid
that size would cause the death of many plants, subsequent deaths of herbivores, and finally the
death of their predators as well which were dinosaurs at the time ("Extinction"). This natural
disaster was the beginning of a long cycle of extinctions.
Natural causes are however no longer the explanation for the mass amount of animal
extinctions. Human actions are now the main source of animal attacks and animal extinctions
that are occurring in our world today ("Deforestation"). Human population has increased so
dramatically that humans need more and more resources ("Deforestation"). The need for living
space, food, and other supplies such as oil and wood has caused humans to expand their borders.
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("Deforestation"). This is resulting in a decreased amount of available habitats for animals. In
order to get the supplies necessary for humanity, deforestation is more frequent
("Deforestation"). Deforestation is the cutting down of a large amount of trees ("Deforestation").
Deforestation, specifically in the Amazon rainforest, has caused several animals to lose their
habitats ("Deforestation"). The Amazon rainforest and Brazilian Amazon are both at an all-time
low in the amount of trees they have due to deforestation by humans ("Deforestation"). This is
making more animals grow closer to extinct because their homes are being destroyed, leaving
them with nowhere to live ("Deforestation").
Since animals are left with no habitat they are left with two options; become extinct
because of the lack of a home or venture out to other areas in hopes of finding a suitable habitat.
For some animals the second option is not available because they rely on the certain resources
that come from that habitat which is being destroyed ("Deforestation"). If the animal however,
did travel out of his natural surroundings, he would most likely end up in an area filled with
humans ("Deforestation"). This results in animal attacks because wild animals and humans are
not used to being around each other. The animal will then be seen as a threat to society because
humans are not used to being around this animal; this will cause humans to be frightened
("Endangered species"). Humans will then become aggressive towards the animal, leading it to
be extinct. A balance between human and animal habitats must be established in order to protect
lives of both humans and animals.
Animal attacks are becoming more common nowadays. Being in a neighborhood in the
city seems like a safe place away from wild animals; that however was not the true for a woman
who lives in Florida ("Bear suspected"). A woman was attacked by a bear, while walking her
dogs in her neighborhood one night ("Bear suspected"). The obvious solution would be to blame
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the bear, but the blame should be put on humans. Humans have expanded the borders of the city
so much that homes are becoming closer to those of animals. In Argentina, there were seventy
people who were left with severe bites from fish when bathing in a river ("Argentina:
Carnivorous"). These humans invading the fishes habitat, has resulted in violent behavior by the
animals ("Argentina: Carnivorous"). By not having a balance between habitats, humans and
animals are both being disturbed. Hippopotamuses and crocodiles have been the cause of several
fatalities in Muleba District, Tanzania ("Kagera Task Force"). Revocatus Mujumuzi, the Ward
Executive Officer for Nyakabango, states that [t]he animals were a big threatpeople are
frightened due to increasing incidents of wild animals wandering from Lake Victoria ("Kagera
Task Force"). This would not be happening if urban and rural areas remained separate so both
animals and humans could live without the fear of being invaded by the other. In Los Angeles,
Mountains lions can be seen around the city and are the cause to many attacks (Kessler).
Mountain Lions used to be called ghost cat by the Chumash Indians because seeing one was
extremely rare (Kessler). Just like humans, animals are going to protect their homes (Kessler).
This is not because they are vicious, but because animals are defending rightfully belongs to
them (Kessler). In order to prevent such vicious animal attacks a border must be set in order to
keep wild animals and human beings apart.
As the increase of humanity progresses, so will the amount of extinction. Because of
humans hunting to extreme measures, animals have become extinct ("Endangered species"). The
dodo bird and great auk the perfect examples of humanitys selfishness, since humans had no
concern of what the result would be for hunting both animals so severally ("Endangered
species"). In Mexico, the Guadalupe fur seal was an endangered species because people wanted
the fur in order to sell it to make a large profit ("Endangered species"). This shows the lack of
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respect humans have for animals. In the United States, the Bald Eagle is considered the symbol
of freedom, but because of the killings committed by humans, they are among the numerous
amounts of animals close to extinction ("Endangered species"). The United States is called the
land of the free, yet humanity is killing one of our symbols of freedom. As human population
grows, there will be less habitat space for other creatures, such as the Black-footed Ferret and
Northern Spotted Owl ("Endangered species"). The American Ivory-Billed Woodpecker lives in
forestry habitats, especially in southeastern parts of the United States, but in order to meet the
needs of humans, the availability for space for the woodpecker is slim ("Endangered species"). In
order to make enough living space for humans, animals must die (Hetrick).
Humans are becoming more greedy as years go by, which is effecting animals lifestyle
significantly. By 2050, Ohio State University predicts that the number of endangered species will
be raised by 10.8%, meaning thirty-one new species in the world will be close to facing
extinction (Hetrick). Jeffrey McKee, the Ohio State University anthropology professor, states
that [w]hen youre left with less space, theres virtually no space left for most other species
(Hetrick). This verifies that there must be a boundary set between human and animal habitats
because animals cannot no longer suffer and die because of humanitys actions.
Christianity has had a significant role in helping demonstrate why a boundary must be set
for human and animal habitats. All creatures were created by God, so both deserve the same
respect (Oppenheimer). When God created the earth in seven days, he did not say humans were
better than animals; he looked at what he had created and said it was all good. Genesis 2 states
that [t]he Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of
it (New International Version, Genesis 2.15). Adam, a man among animals, had the
responsibility of watching over all of creation, which included naming all the animals (Genesis
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2.15). This shows the connection established between humans and animals since the beginning
of time. In the Bible, Jesus preaches using parables, which are metaphors that hold the message
of God that Jesus came to spread throughout the world. Some parables that Jesus preached
included references to sheep and birds (Johnson). In Luke 15, a sheep has strayed away from the
herd, so the shepherd searches in order to bring the sheep back home (Luke 15.3-7). Once the
sheep has been found, the shepherd throws a huge celebration in honor of the lost sheeps return
(Luke 15.3-7). In this parable Jesus explains that God, just like a shepherd, will search for the
lost sheep, which are humans that have sinned, and the celebration will be eternal happiness in
Heaven (Luke 15.3-7). Luke 12 shows that every creature is special to God when he wrote,
[a]re not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God (Luke
12.6). Humans need to realize that one single life is not to be disrespected because all life was
created by God. Societies today are busy focusing on larger problems such as abortion and war;
they are oblivious to the mass amount of endangered species (Oppenheimer). There must be a
balance between human and animals habitats because we are put on this earth to follow Gods
example of taking care of all his creation, from the smallest to the largest creature.
Animals do not just have a part in Christianity, but also in other cultures such as tribes
and Egyptian religion. The Muskogee and Cherokee tribes share a common emphasis on animals
in their tribes, meaning both have strong beliefs regarding animals (Aftandilian). Animals are
considered superior to humans since they are believed to contain more power and knowledge.
This comes from the fact that Muskogee and Cherokee tribes acknowledge animals as the first
living creatures who created every other feature of the world (Aftandilian). An animal council
decided that the earth should not only be filled with water, but should also have land
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(Aftandilian). This shows that if animals did not make the choice to move to land, humans would
have had nowhere to live, but yet humans are still disrespecting animals.
Today humans are taking up more space, leaving the animals with only a small amount of
living space. The Muskogee and Cherokee tribes both have laws to respect animals in order to
prevent overhunting, but human beings have disregarded all respect toward animals by
overkilling them (Aftandilian). The Cherokee tribe have stories about animals who provided a
human with insight because the human treated the animal well (Aftandilian). Muskogee and
Cherokee tribes show respect toward all animals (Aftandilian). Taking over an animals living
space should not be allowed because all animals have a meaningful purpose on earth, just like
humans do. The tribes and Christianity both believe people have a responsibility to take care of
animals because they are believed to bring forth blessings (Aftandilian).
Not only does Christianity and both tribes have a strong respects towards animals, but
Egyptian religion does as well. Egyptian religion completely revolves around animals ("Animals
in Egyptian"). Animals represent gods in Egyptian religion, which shows animals are not seen as
inferiors to humans ("Animals in Egyptian"). According to Egyptian beliefs, animals have
superior capabilities than humans ("Animals in Egyptian"). This makes animals sacred to
Egyptians because gods are believed to manifest through these creatures ("Animals in
Egyptian"). Humanity however, is treating them as meaningless creatures and not appreciating
the special characteristics that animals possess ("Animals in Egyptian"). In Egyptian religion
humans and animals are believed to be equal, therefore animals need just as much living space as
human beings do ("Animals in Egyptian"). The sacredness of animals, that Egyptian religion
teaches needs to be spread throughout the world in order to protect the mass amount of creatures
humanity has been taking advantage of.
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God tells us to watch over all of his creation. This is needed in order to avoid humans and
animals from hurting each other. There must be a balance between human and animal habitats
because if not future generations will never know of the animals that society treasures today.
Well done. Work on organization so that individual paragraphs are more than
summaries of individual articles. Grammar is excellent.
Content: 40/40; Organization: 26/30; Grammar: 20/20; MLA: 10/10
Grade = 96
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Works Cited
Aftandilian, Dave. "Toward a native American theology of animals: creek and Cherokee
perspectives." Cross Currents June 2011: 191+. Student Resources in Context. Web. 14
Jan. 2014.
"Animals in Egyptian Religion." Arts and Humanities Through the Eras. Ed. Edward I. Bleiberg,
et al. Vol. 1: Ancient Egypt 2675-332 B.C.E. Detroit: Gale, 2005. 221-224. Student
Resources in Context. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.
"Argentina: Carnivorous Fish Attack Bathers in a River." New York Times 27 Dec. 2013
A10(L). Student Resources in Context. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.
"Bear suspected in attack captured, killed." CNN Wire 5 Dec. 2013. Student Resources in
Context. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.
"Deforestation." The Gale Encyclopedia of Science. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth
Lerner. 4th ed. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Student Resources in Context. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.
"Endangered species." The Gale Encyclopedia of Science. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda
Wilmoth Lerner. 4th ed. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Student Resources in Context. Web. 4 Feb.
2014.
"Extinction." The Gale Encyclopedia of Science. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner.
4th ed. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Student Resources in Context. Web. 4 Feb. 2014.
Hetrick, Keturah. "A madding crowd's ignoble strife: growing human populations may drive
more animal species toward extinction." The Futurist Nov.-Dec. 2013: 12+. Student
Resources in Context. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.
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Johnson, Elizabeth A. "For God so loved the cosmos: when the word became flesh, all creation
was drawn into the divine embrace." U.S. Catholic Apr. 2010: 18+. Student Resources in
Context. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.
"Kagera Task Force to Curb Wild Animals Attacks On Villages." Africa News Service 8 Jan.
2014. Student Resources in Context. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.
Kessler, Mike. "Ghost cat: the city's most mythic predators are as elusive as they are fierce. With
the inevitable turf battles over their shrinking kingdom, the question is whether mountain
lions can survive one another." Los Angeles Magazine Nov. 2013: 150+. Student
Resources in Context. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.
New International Version. Bible Gateway. Web. 29 Jul. 2013.
Oppenheimer, Mark. "Scholars explore Christian perspectives on animal rights." New York
Times 7 Dec. 2013: A19(L). Student Resources in Context. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.