Endangered species: fur, fins, and fame.If you think celebrities don't have anything else to do but wear hip clothes and go to awards ceremonies, think again. Many stars have a soft spot for animals whose populations are slipping. Take actors Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan, OBE[1] (born May 16, 1953) is an Irish-American actor and producer best known for portraying James Bond in four films from 1995 to 2002: GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and and Tom Hanks Noun 1. Tom Hanks - United States film actor (born in 1956) Hanks, Thomas J. Hanks . They're using their star status to produce public service announcements urging consumers to keep tuna "dolphin-safe." Schools of tuna tend to swim below frolicking dolphins. Many fishermen throw nets over the dolphins in hopes of nabbing the tuna--often chasing, injuring or killing the dolphins in the process. Since 1990, tuna caught this way can't be sold in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . Cans are labeled "dolphin-safe," so shoppers can be sure. In January, however, senators Ted Stevens (R-Ark.) and John Breaux John Berlinger Breaux (last name pronounced BRO) is a former United States senator from Louisiana who served from 1987 until 2005. He was also a member of the U.S. House from 1972 to 1987. He was considered one of the more conservative national legislators from the Democratic Party. (D-La ), introduced a bill in Congress that would severely weaken the dolphin protections. The bill would allow tuna caught in "dolphin-dangerous" nets to be sold once again in the U.S.--while keeping the "dolphin--safe" label. "They're rendering the dolphin-safe label meaningless," Brosnan says. While no species of ocean dolphins are on the endangered list yet, conservationists like Brosnan and Hanks worry that dolphin populations could shrink drastically if the bills take effect. Other stars--like Boy Meets World's Rider Strong and Brotherly Love's Matt Lawrence--have "adopted" specific endangered animals. Their cash pays for an animal's care and education efforts so people learn more about the species. "I'm an outdoors person, and I've always been obsessed ob·sess v. ob·sessed, ob·sess·ing, ob·sess·es v.tr. To preoccupy the mind of excessively. v.intr. with wolves," says Strong. "So I adopted one!" Lawrence adopted an endangered gorilla. Why do these celebrities give a hoot Verb 1. give a hoot - show no concern or interest; always used in the negative; "I don't give a hoot"; "She doesn't give a damn about her job" care a hang, give a damn, give a hang about endangered animals? These days, the extinction rate is dangerously above normal--about 200 species die off each day. One-fourth of the world's known mammal species are either endangered or threatened, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. When one species disappears from an ecosystem--a web of plants and animals Plants and Animals are a Canadian indie-rock band from Montreal, comprised of guitarist-vocalists Warren Spicer and Nic Basque, and drummer-vocalist Matthew Woodley.[1] They are signed to Secret City Records. that depend on each other--the entire web could collapse. And people are part of many of Earth's ecosystems. For example, we rely on diverse populations of plants and animals for food and medicines. Take a look at our charts and graphs to find out more about why species are threatened--and what you can do to help. |
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