The amount of biodiversity around us is incredible. Even if you live in a primarily urban environment, you’ll still encounter lots of different bugs and insects, different types of birds (not just pigeons!), probably rats, as well as stray dogs and cats.

If there are any parks or wooded areas in between your local skyscrapers, the odds are that you might also spot some squirrels, foxes, and raccoons. Of course, the specific animals you encounter are going to depend heavily on what part of the world you’re in!

If you live further away from the city center and you’re surrounded by more and more untouched nature, the animals you encounter are also going to be more varied. You might encounter entire groups of deer, different species of birds, insects, and amphibians.

If you’re living really remotely, you may even find some larger animals paying you a visit. Imagine drinking your first cup of morning coffee only to see a bear or a wolf walking past your front porch!

However, it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. As people expand their urban environments, they massively affect the local wildlife population. Suddenly, animals are forced to flee their homes or look in other areas for food. Some fail to adapt altogether. Others are forced to change their entire behavior not only to survive but to thrive around people. (E.g., think of how wild raccoons live vs. suburban raccoons stealing food from trash cans.)

Earth.org, reporting on the data collected by the World Wildlife Fund, notes that the most endangered animal in the world is the Amur Leopard. Between 2014 and 2015, barely 92 individuals were left in the world.

Now, this number is even lower, standing at a mere 84. These leopards are at risk mainly due to poachers who value their coats and boats to be sold to Asian medicine practitioners. Natural fires, as well as those caused by people, also destroy their habitats. Meanwhile, the changing climate means that they have less prey to catch.

Rhinos are also incredibly vulnerable. Poachers and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners value their horns very much, which means that these animals are constantly under threat of being hunted down. Unfortunately, their horns are very lucrative.

The black rhino, Javan rhino, and Sumatran rhino are three of five rhino species that are among the most endangered species on Earth. For instance, there are barely 60 Javan rhinos left. Meanwhile, the black rhino population stands at 5.5k.

Bornean and Sumatran orangutans are also in trouble. There were roughly 230k+ orangutans in the wild a hundred years ago. However, due to deforestation for palm oil, they’ve been losing their habitats. As it stands now, there are 104.7k Bornean orangutans and around 13.8k Sumatran orangutans living.

There are no easy fixes. If you want to protect wildlife on a global scale, you’d have to change how people interact with nature so they can co-exist with animals.

That would probably include fundamentally changing the perspective on trade and economics: instead of limitless growth and profits, everyone would ideally aim for sustainable growth.

Meanwhile, we would all ideally change how we look at a life worth living, pursuing deep relationships instead of materialistic wants. That means consuming less, buying fewer products, changing our eating habits, and recycling more.

As a result, we’d need to destroy fewer natural habitats for farms, factories, mines, and homes. The more people vote with their wallets, the more big corporations will have to adapt and embrace a greener mindset.

At the end of the day, we’ll still see quick economic expansion so long as it’s profitable. If you’re angry about pollution, destroyed habitats, and climate change, then you can and should look at the problem as a political one.

Vote for political representatives who represent your values. Boycott companies and brands that go against what you believe in. Write to your current political representatives asking them to take a tougher stance regarding conservation.

Meanwhile, you can support wildlife organizations financially or by volunteering your time. However, on a more personal scale, you could help your local wildlife by wilding your garden if you have one or by being courteous and non-intrusive when you spend time in nature.

What’s the best or most unexpected wildlife encounter you’ve ever had, dear Pandas? How often do you see animals in your day-to-day lives? What do you do to support conservation efforts? Tell us all about it in the comments!