Beluga whales are under the threatened or endangered status in parts of the world. Even though there are still 150,000 belugas in the Arctic Circle, species are now going endangered far faster than they used to. A recent study estimated that the extinction rate has increased a hundredfold over the last century. The main reason of them being on the verge of being endangered is because of human activity. Human activity produces sound pollution (as well as toxic chemical spills) to more sensitive areas, killing the primary food source of the ocean and unbalancing the overall ecosystem in the Arctic Circle. Increasing greenhouse gas melts the sea ice that forms a natural barrier for beluga whales to be attacked by predators, and causes them to not be able to adapt successfully to a new environment without sea ice. This also promotes the emerging pathogens and diseases in their habitat. If we care together for beluga whales and try our best to conserve them, a difference will be made to conserve their habitat and the species within it.

Citation:
Beluga | Whales |Species | WWF. (2017). World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 30 May 2017, from https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/beluga

Speegle, J. (2017). NOAA Fisheries Issues Recovery Plan for Cook Inlet beluga whales. Retrieved 30 May 2017, from https://alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/node/55458