“Looking at life from a different perspective makes you realize that it's not the deer crossing the road, rather it's the road that is crossing the forest.'' comments the famous boxer Muhammad Ali.  Imagine a dead deer just lying on the side of the road. Just think, there was a time when that deer didn’t have to pass the dangerous road, the deer was able to walk with ease and take its time, nowadays they have to have perfect movements, one wrong step and they could be dead. On the other hand, we have the driver on the phone crying. Their beautiful car is now destroyed and it will probably be totaled all because of the deer. Whose fault is it? Animals are losing their homes every day because of people. Some people feel animals should exist around us but really people should exist around animals. Habitat loss is a huge problem, a few reasons for this are animals and humans opposing each other, forests turning into buildings, pollution, and littering. 

Animals vs humans. We will always be against each other. Some people say that on Earth there isn't enough room for humans and animals to live peacefully. I just recently came back from Hawaii and there is an invasive species of deer called axis deer. I found an article on the website Big Island Invasive Species Committee (BIISC) that justifies axis deer are a big threat to the Hawaiian islands. The deer eat a lot of the native plants also, compete with ranchers cattle for food and fresh drinking water announced by the BIISC. The main problem with the invasive species in Hawaii is that they have no natural predators. A lot of the locals want to get the deer off the island, some saying they run in front of cars and their car will get totaled, others don't like them because the deer are eating all their crops. Another example is animals going on golf courses. Most rich people don't like it when animals get in their way; sometimes they will leave a noticeable trail. Animals can be noisy and disruptive, but that golf course was their woods at some point! Where should the animals go? We are living against each other. A main cause of habitat loss is the loss of forests; it is becoming an issue.  

Forestry loss is a big problem in the environment today. An article on the Habitat Destruction website mentions that the leading cause of extinction is habitat loss because of land clearing. They also say “Nearly 80% of land cleared is used for cattle grazing.” We are taking down lots of trees at a time and it is hurting everyone. Many websites claim forests cover nearly one-third of our planet's land area, which is home to many animals. But we aren't always the problem. Forest fires are destroying forests faster than ever before, because of climate change. When a fire happens sometimes animals don’t get enough time to escape. The ones that do escape lose their home and it takes a while for forests to regrow. The animals have to then find a new home but will come into problems like another animal's territory. Sometimes when there are big fires people give up on waiting for the forest to grow back, and we decide to build. 

Taking down trees to make room for the growing economy is a huge problem. Cities are getting overpopulated trying to take down trees to grow their town. New developments are popping up every day. I found an article on Minnesota Reformer by Madison Mcvan that breaks down the growth of housing units constructed in Minnesota over the years. In 2023 16,487 housing units were constructed, in the next two years, the number grew to 23,000. Just think how much land all these houses took up. Another thing is migration routes get obstructed by new communities/roads. Some animals move with seasons and they might have to change their path because of new roads and houses in the way of their usual route. 

Pollution and litter are another big problem in our growing economy. A website called Nobody Trashes Tennessee states animals are drawn to litter, which brings the animals closer to roads and can get some animals fighting over food, which, in the end, brings animals closer to danger. Litter can also obstruct natural migration routes. Our garbage also takes up land, the animal's homes. An article by the United States Environmental Protection Agency called Project and Landfill Data article last updated March 22, 2024 clarifies we have 2,635 total landfills in the US. They also provide a nice graph for you to see how many landfills each state has. 

In conclusion, humans are more dangerous than we thought. We need to think about others before we act. Animals are getting harmed by our everyday actions. That dead deer on the side of the road, he could once cross the road without thinking. We have changed the ways animals live; not in a good way. Today I mentioned changes in habit loss by talking about humans vs animals, forests turning into buildings, and how pollution and littering are affecting animals. Just remember, “Looking at life from a different perspective makes you realize that it's not the deer crossing the road, rather it's the road that is crossing the forest.'' - Muhammad Ali.