Killings in the name of oil are happening continuously in Canada and will eventually cause huge numbers of wildlife fatalities. Since operations began, oil sands extraction has been one of the most dangerous environmental issues facing the world. The environmental effects of drilling have worldwide impacts. Not only does drilling harm those closest to it, but its greenhouse gas emissions, as well as its effects on waterways, extend across the globe and essentially affect the world's population. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay This article will provide a brief history of the oil sands and then continue to examine the negative effects that the oil sands have on different wildlife species. This includes habitat loss for several species of animals that depend on the boreal forest, where drilling primarily occurs. Also included are the effects that pollutants emitted from processing have on wildlife. Tar sands are areas of land that contain oil deposits, and Canada has an excessive amount of these tar sands. Due to the demand for fossil fuels, the extraction of this oil is extremely profitable. To extract oil and turn it into usable fuel, several industrial steps must be performed. These extraction methods have a very negative impact on the environment; not only do they use three liters of water for every liter of oil produced, but they obtain this water from nearby sources, such as rivers. In addition to the water needed to produce this oil, extracting oil also requires excavating approximately two tons of soil to produce a single barrel of this fuel. The amount of greenhouse gases produced during these processes is three times the amount of gas produced by normal oil. Given the increasing levels of sand drilling underway, oil sands operations are estimated to produce more greenhouse gases this year than any previous year. Negative impacts of the oil sands include: loss of habitat, pollutants released into the air and water, loss of water from nearby streams, decreased wildlife populations, more tailings ponds, higher cancer rates high among indigenous populations and oil spills through the distribution of these refined oils. One of the animals most affected by the habitat loss is the woodland caribou, an animal already considered critically endangered. The destruction of their habitat has already caused a population decline of 50% over the last 10 years, with an expected continuing decline of 5-15% per year. Of the eighteen distinct caribou herds living in Canada, nine are affected, three of them critically. Three herds are stable and the effects on the six remaining herds are unknown. If the oil sands continue to expand their operations, the woodland caribou is predicted to become extinct, which would make the woodland caribou the third caribou species to disappear from Earth. In an effort to counteract this loss of the caribou population, the Canadian Department of Fish and Wildlife kills hundreds of gray wolves each year. They use poisoned bait traps and shoot them down from helicopters to exterminate this natural predator of the caribou, enabling further oil drilling. This attempt to poison wolves via woven bait causes even more unnecessary deaths among wildlife. Also eagles, dogs and others.