In general, animals face threats from two arenas; humans, and nature itself. Humans are increasingly destroying the animals’ habitats to build new infrastructure, or to use the land for agricultural purposes. In many countries, pets and livestock are also threatened by a lack of sufficient care, often fuelled by insufficient government laws and policies. Climate change continues to pose significant challenges to the animals’ natural environment, which is perhaps the biggest factor contributing to loss of wildlife.
Climate change poses a threat to the ecosystem's ability to support species and maintain its equilibrium. The fauna that has adapted to the changing heat trends will have to adjust to new surroundings when plants change their blooming times, or move to colder regions. Some animals will have trouble finding food that is nourishing enough to support their current gut biomes. For instance, pollinators need to eat flowers that are in bloom earlier in the year. Other animals might discover that their surroundings can no longer sustain their biology. Climate change-related increases in precipitation are causing more frequent and intense weather events, such as flooding and wildfires. The increased frequency of floods harms wildlife because it can wipe out important ecosystems and habitats. Floods have an evident negative impact on the environment, such as flooding land and destroying forests, but they also have long-lasting consequences like serious water pollution.
Many prominent studies have revealed that climate change has caused an increase in the length of wildfires, as well as higher frequencies. Warmer temperatures during the spring and summer months, coupled with less rain, has led to many places experiencing devastating wildfires and drought. In 2019 and 2020, Australia witnessed one of the most destructive climate change-related disasters to date. Bushfires raged across the county for several months, causing the death and displacement of more than 3 billion animals. At the end of the bushfire season, 180 million birds, 143 million mammals and almost 2.5 billion reptiles had been injured. Besides the actual loss of wildlife itself, these kind of disasters uproot the whole ecosystem - which is fragile and sensitive to any small changes.
Stray animals is also a big problem worldwide. Dogs are undoubtedly the most popular pet, however, an estimated 200 million dogs are homeless worldwide. Animal shelters are doing an incredible job housing and taking care of them, but it nonetheless remains a dire situation. The world also faces problems when it comes to healthy and sustainable treatment of livestock. Insufficient living conditions, cramped spaces and maltreatment are all issues which must be addressed to ensure the animals are treated with respect. This requires knowledge, resources and up- to-date government policies. On top of this comes illegal wildlife trade, and illegal breeding of animals for those markets.