The Sixth Extinction

Everyone know that big extinctions have happened in the past, but what many don't realize is that we are living through a mass extinction right now. And even worse, we are the ones who started it. Below are my criteria for whether something is worth saving or not, and six endangered species, and how they line up with my criteria.

Extinction is a big problem for us humans because eventually we won't have anything left to eat. If we have nothing to eat we die. My highest ranked species to save is the red wolf. They, like many other wolves, serve as a predator to keep other populations in check. There are very few left in the wild. Conservationists  have bred them, and released them into the wild. They are endangered because of predator control programs and loss of habitats.

My criteria for whether an endangered organism is worth my time and money to save:

1. How much money will it cost to save?
2.  Are there less than 1,000 individuals left?
3.  Are the individuals able to mate?
4.  How willing will people be to donate to save this organism?
5.  How much time will we have to invest?

Giant Panda

1. There is a pair of pandas at one zoo, that cost a quarter million dollar a year to keep alive. Pandas are extremely expensive to keep, and even more expensive to breed.
2. There are at least 1,800 Pandas left.
3. In captivity yes because they breed them, and usually they can in the wild, but pandas are very picky about mating.
4. Pandas are adorable, so naturally people are very willing to donate money.
5. A ton of time and effort.

As far as currently endangered organisms go, I don't think pandas should be a priority just because they are adorable, but they should be saved.

Red Wolf

1. In the thousands of dollars 
2. Hundreds exist in captivity, but the are far less in the wild.
3. Yes, especially in captivity
4. They are a very adorable animal, and can be intimidating, but overall i think people will want to save it
5. lots of time, seeing as they mostly exist in captivity.

Brown Spider Monkey

1. It costs somewhere in the thousands of dollars to take care of a monkey
2. There are around a hundred recorded left in zoos, and there is no real population estimate as far as how many are left in the will.
3. Mating is very slow in both zoos and the wild
4. It really depends on the animal, but this is still a fairly cute animal so yes
5. We don't really know how any are left in the wild so it is hard to tell

Snow Leopards

1. Anywhere around 100000 dollars
2. Around 6,000 are left and that is a higher estimate
3. only around 2500 individuals that are left are able to mate
4. Yes i think people would.
5. Not to much because there is still a relatively high number left.

Javan Rhinoceros

1. Hundreds of thousands of dollars at least
2. there are only around 60 left
3. They have never been successfully bred in captivity, and there are not very many left to breed in the wild.
4. This animal is not as cute, so people are less likely to try and save it.
5. A ton of time and resources

Baiji

1. Hundreds of thousands of dollars at least
2. There are most likely at least fifty left in the wild, and a few in captivity, but it was declared functionally extinct
3. They are not able to mate enough to continue the population
4. It is not as cute as other dolphins, and has been declared functionally extinct, but it at least gets a little bit of support
5. A fair bit of time and money

 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HUMO22ybBaZR8BmG84XWuPZ5t-49ookVp34nHsityII/edit?usp=sharing