While mass extinctions are inevitable ( click HERE to learn about the past 5 mass extinctions), protecting the earth's animals is very important in order to maintain balance in our environment and within every ecosystem.
On December 28th, 1973, Richard Nixon, president at the time, passed the Endangered Species Act in order to help protect species of animals at risk for endangerment.
Click HERE for more information about what the ESA is.
Click HERE for a timeline of the history of the ESA from the early 1900s to 2000s.
Click HERE for a graph of species that have gone extinct since 1600 to 2000