(introduction...)

We share our environment with other living things. A balanced and healthy environment should have many different species living together in interdependence. Many species in the world today are in danger of disappearing because their numbers have been reduced_ by hunting, by loss of their habitat, or by an environmental change in their food chain - to where they can no longer reproduce efficiently.

It is of benefit to the total environment to maintain and encourage these endangered species, for when something goes wrong in the natural order, it can affect us all.

For example, jungle cats have become rare in many places. The rats which the cats used to eat have multiplied now that their natural enemies are gone. In their search for food the rats now invade villages, carrying disease to the inhabitants and eating their crops.

An important element in conservation education is awareness. In order for a community to be concerned about the endangered species of the area, people must know something about these species.