Jaguars, caimans, dolphins, monkeys and a lot of other wildlife and plants are becoming rare. They are endangered. The rainforests are being cut down for big cattle ranches. The trees are being cut down for factory sites. The land is being cleared for mines. The rivers are being dammed for electricity. Between 1970 and 1989, damming of rivers, burning and clearing of the forests destroyed 400,000 sq. km, or around 10% of the Amazon forest. When the jungles are destroyed, they cannot grow back. It also destroys the cultures of the Indians who rely on the plants and animals. I felt lucky to see monkeys. The nights were very noisy with hooting animals. I had thought it would be a quiet place to sleep!

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