How the Beef Industry Threatens Endangered Species

Every year, thousands of wild animals, including bears,
coyotes, and foxes, are killed because they are perceived as a threat to the
livestock industry. In the United States alone, that amounts to 2
million total wild animals killed each year.

But that’s just the beginning. A new article is highlighting
the ill effects of our meat-heavy diets on endangered species in Tanzania.

Vice
News reports:

Tanzania has 21.3 million cows,
accounting for 82 percent of rural livestock, according to the country’s
Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Development (MSFD). That count came four
years ago, and according to the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of
Tanzania (SAGCOT), cattle populations have increased steadily at a rate of 5
percent a year over the last ten years.

Cows are depleting topsoil and destroying natural vegetation
at an alarming rate. This increased population poses a serious problem for the
country’s wildlife, which includes elephants, zebras, and rhinos.

“But while poaching remains a grave threat to Tanzania’s
endangered species, large-scale cattle farming is set to decimate wildlife
corridors and encroach on the few national parks where these animals reside,
the article explains.

Obviously, cows themselves are victims of this cruel
industry and are just as worthy of compassion as the wildlife threatened by their
exploitation for beef.

Your food choices hold tremendous power to curb species
extinction, animal suffering on factory farms, and
serious human health
risks.

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