I disagree with the notion that wild animals are redundant in the current century and therefore we need not waste our precious resources on protecting them. I believe that the conservation of these species should be our top priority as they are our most precious resources. In the following paragraphs I shall put forth my arguments to support my views.
To commence with, the most important reason for saving wild animals is that they are part of our ecosystem. Every species of wild life plays a role to maintain the balance of life on earth. Thus, the lost of any species can affect us directly or indirectly. Let us consider species to be like a brick in the foundation of a building. We can probably lost one or two or a dozen bricks and still have standing house. But by the time we have lost 20% of species, we are going to destabilize the entire structure. That is the way ecosystems work.
Secondly, wild animals provide many valuable substances such as medicine and fur. The horn of the rhinoceros has medicinal value and the fur of the mink is very valuable. The recreactional viewing of animals at zoos are also source of revenue. Thus the financial value of wild species are important to the economics of many nations.
Finally, wild animals have aesthetic appeal. They are beautiful creatures of nature and are part of our biodiversity. Their beautiful mysterious life has enchanted mankind since dawn evolution. Scientist have been awed by observing their behavior. Such study has helped scientist understand how the human body functions and why people behave as they do. Scientist have also gained medical knowledge by studying of effect of many drugs on these animals.
To pun it in nutshell, the protection of wild animals in the 21st century is by no means a waste of resources. In fact it should be most important global priority today. I pen down a quotation - "Scientists know be must protect species because they are working parts of our life - support system".