The extinction of indigenous animals is an ongoing problem that has not received the attention it deserves. Biologists have studied the mass extinction model with growing concern. According to a census of world species (Dugan), the world's species are declining at a rate 10,000 times faster than normal. It is unknown what is causing such a rapid increase in extinction, however there is one thing that is indisputable: human interference plays a direct role. Poaching is the illegal hunting, killing or capture of animals. Poachers sell the animals as pets, food and fur. During the 1960s jaguars, leopards and tigers were poached for fur and meat. The organs and meat of the animals were then sold as aphrodisiac medicines and the skin was used to make accessories. During the 1960s and 1970s, approximately 18,000 jaguars were killed each year for their beautiful coats. Once-valued furs, such as those of the leopard, cheetah, or jaguar, can no longer be hunted in countries where they are indigenous, and many other countries ban their importation (Miller). Another example of an animal being hunted to near extinction is the whaling industry in the 19th century. Southern right whales were hunted because they float when dead, can produce many barrels of oil, have long baleen plates, and come close to shore. Whale oil was used for candles, light fuel, soap, heating, and lubricant. Baleen or "whale bone" was used in corsetry, book binding, and the production of whips and umbrellas (Environment). Between the years 1835-1844 whales in New Zealand and Australia were hunted to near extinction. As a result, whaling was no longer profitable and in 1935 whales were protected internationally through the League of Nations and b... middle of paper... that the Earth is facing increasing species loss . that equals or exceeds any mass extinction in the geological record. Sources http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/an-epidemic-of-extinctions-decimation-of-life-on-earth-829325.html http: //www.edu.pe.ca/ southernkings/jaguar.htmhttp://www.environment.sa.gov.au/coasts/whales/hist.htmlhttp://www.actionbioscience.org/biodiversity/simberloff.htmlhttp://www.birdlife.org/action/ science/sowb/pression/30.htmlhttp://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/ThinkGloballyActLocally/LossOfHabitat/default.cfmhttp://www.redorbit.com/news/science/ 380463/urban_expansion_straining_wildlife_with_growth_altering_their_habitat_animals/index.html (Henderson) http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2008/10/21/Study-World-is-undergoing-mass-extinction/UPI-86681224612180/DeWeerdt