VICE • July 5, 2021
As wildfires have burned across the world over the past few years, few images were more shared and mourned over than those of koalas and household pets suffering. But what about all the other animals, especially the ones that are less cuddly? People do help in conservation efforts towards these “creepier” animals, but it doesn’t compare to the affection and enthusiasm people feel for those cute or grand animals. And while it’s true that so many of these charismatic species are vulnerable or endangered, Dr. Jacquelyn L. Gill, an associate professor of paleoecology and plant ecology at the University of Maine, said, “The most threatened groups of animals on the planet are actually amphibians and reptiles, due to a combination of pollution, development (which causes habitat loss), the introduction of invasive species, and climate change.”