One Bengal tiger is being killed illegally almost every day, according to the Environmental Investigation Agency. Poachers are regularly killing tigers for their bones which are used in outlawed Chinese medicine. The last stronghold of the Bengal tiger is India, which now has less than 3,000 tigers. Poaching is so heavy that the tiger is threatened with extinction within 5 years if nothing is done about the illegal animal trade, which is now second to the illegal drug trade.

"What can you do?" asks Penstemon. "Never purchase these kinds of medicines and ask your appropriate government officials to declare war on illegal animal trafficing."

Poaching and loss of habitat are fast endangering some of the world's most beloved primates (gorilla, chimpanzee, and orangutan for example) commonly called the great apes. Poaching for meat is widespread, and chimpanzees are routinely taken for use in scientific and medical testing laboratories. In addition, the apes are being forced out of their natural habitat due to the encroachment of poverty-stricken farmers who slash and burn forests to grow crops and raise cattle.

Slash and Burn is not an acceptable forestry practice -- it refers to the process of removing all trees for timber, then burning the residual material including any vegetation still growing, which also prepares the upper layer of the soil for planting agricultural crops including forage for cattle. It is not related to clearcutting, which is an acceptable, though largely unappealing, forestry practice that removes only the trees suitable for timber. Good forest management dicatates that clearcut areas be replanted, but even if not, the area will re-seed with surrounding vegetative species, though with primarily pioneer species and not necessarily the same ones present at the time of the harvest. The slash and burn technique allows for no re-seeding from surrounding plant species and is commonly practiced in third world countries where forestry regulations are non-existant, or if they do exist, are of limited value or are not enforced.

"What can you do?" asks Penstemon. "Support international wildlife organizations that help fund national parks and preserves, that protect the apes through enforcement of regulations, and that provide local eduction and assitance. Also, try to buy only make-up products that have not been tested on animals."

Oil spills affect everyone, but they are particulary damaging to sea-going wildlife. Migrating seabirds look for areas of calm waters to rest, which oil-covered seas appear to be. They land on the water by the thousands during migration, become trapped and die of starvation, or ingest the highly toxic material when they try to remove it from their feathers.

The poisons in marine animals killed by oil eventually works its way through the entire marine food chain. And tanker accidents are not the only culprit. Washing oil storage tanks at sea and other deliberate illegal actions actually account for 72 percent of oil spills. Another source is oil that seeps into oceans from sewers and rivers.

"What can you do?" asks Penstemon. "Support stricter enforcement of legislation already in effect, and return used motor oil to a garage rather than pouring it down the drain or burying it in the yard."

Over-fishing is bad enough, but it can also throw off the delicate balance of an entire ecosytem. That's what has happened in the coastal waters of Alaska. Over-fishing in deep water has reduced the number of deep-sea fish that seals and sea lions once fed upon. With less food supply, their populations have declined. Killer whales that once fed upon seals and sea lions have now turned to sea otters that live close to shore. Bad enough? It gets worse.

The number of otters have now declined so much that sea urchin populations, once kept in check by the otters, are now exploding and destroying kelp beds. The species that depend on kelp (such as coastal fish, mussels, barnacles, and sea birds) are now beginning to decline as well.

"What can you do?" asks Penstemon. "Lend your voice to help create new natural ocean preserves, and modify existing ones so that fishing and oil drilling are prohibited in some areas. Too much human interference is making it hard to understand what are truly natural effects."