Significance

• Endangered animals in the desert are at risk of dying off and becoming extinct as a result of increasing mortality rates and declining reproduction rates, affecting the interaction of all desert species.
  
  

Effects

• The endangerment of desert animals disrupts the entire ecosystem, causing imbalances due to food shortages and population inconsistencies amongst producers and consumers, threatening the natural processes of food chains.
  
  

Types

• Endangered desert animals high on the food chain, including cheetahs, Fennec foxes and Mexican wolves, suffer from food scarcities due to endangered prey, such as zebras and gazelles.
  
  

Potential

• Threatened and endangered desert species face eventual extinction if human conservation efforts are not made to restore habitats and prevent poaching, over-hunting and destruction of habitats.
  
  

Prevention/Solution

• Endangered desert animals can recover over time and avoid extinction through international captive breeding programs at zoos that promote reproduction, survival of the species and reintroduction into the wild.