The Ocelot: An Endangered Species BY: Zhara Marcelle Form 1L
Introduction My resource is wildlife. The animal I chose is the ocelot. The ocelot is spotted and is similar to a leopard or jaguar. I chose this resource and this animal because I love wildlife and I thought the ocelot was very beautiful species of wildcat.
Where does it live? The ocelot lives in tropical and semi-tropical areas as well as forests and savannahs and sometimes flooded areas.
Why is it Endangered? The ocelot has been on the Endangered Species List since 1972. It is endangered due to deforestation, forcing it to starve or find new homes. Poaching is also a major problem.
Continuation of Reasons Ocelot fur can be sold for $40 000 US dollars or more. Many people keep ocelots as pets. They are willing to pay thousands of dollars for it.
Why should the people of Trinidad care? We should care because not only are we harming of an animal who poses no threat to us, but if it died rodents, snakes and insects population would spiral out of control, since the ocelot eats these small prey.
Continuation It would be the loss of an animal that is a creature of beauty and could also attract tourists to our country. If the ocelot became extinct which animal would be next? We need to take action and prevent this amazing creature from becoming extinct!
Solutions to this Epic Issue! It is not too late. We can still stop the extinction of this cat and the depletion of wildlife in our country by: The government could pass laws to protect wildlife. A special sanctuary could be built to protect the animal and keep it safe.
Solutions Continued You could do right thing by following the law. Educate others about this crisis. Alert the authorities if you know someone is breaking the law.
Conclusion In conclusion we should all try to stop this ongoing problem because if we don’t our country will loose all its wildlife and what will we do then? The ocelot and all other animals deserve to live.
The End
SOURCES www.wisegeek.com www.exoticcatz.com www.wildlifeextra.com