When you think of a fearsome hunter, images of lions and sharks may s    1     to mind. Recent research by e    2     scientists, however, shows that in fact, humans are the most fearsome hunters     3     have the greatest impact on animal populations. Human activities have brought many animals close to e    4    . In the last 500 years, over 300 species of animals have gone extinct. Some activities, such as hunting and fishing, directly harm animals, while other activities, such as development in towns and cities, impact i    5     on animal populations.

Human activities that have i    1     effects on animals can be just as harmful. When we build farms or factories, we destroy animal habitats and leave many animals with n    2     to live, or no food to eat. We can also put animals in d    3     without entering their habitats. Air, water, noise and light pollution can all have a deep and damaging influence quite f    4     from their source. Partly due to pollution caused by ship traffic and other human activities, the dolphin population has d    5     greatly. As the human population continues to grow, so does the effect we have on animals.