Posts tagged "endangered species"

Snow leopards are considered one of the most endangered species on the planet, with only 4,000–6,500 cats left in the wild. While their numbers have been dwindling steadily over the years, there is new hope, as a robust population of the big cats have been discovered in the mountains of Afghanistan, according to the UK Daily Telegraph.

The snow leopards were photographed by camera traps located at 16 different locations throughout Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor, a mountainous area that traverses the border between Tadjikistan and Pakistan, connecting Afghanistan to China. The World Conservation Society has proposed making Wakhan into a national park due to the wildlife that call it home.

"This is a wonderful discovery," Peter Zahler, deputy director of Asia programmes for the WCS told the Telegraph. "Now our goal is to ensure that these magnificent animals have a secure future as a key part of Afghanistan's natural heritage."

It's not a total surprise that snow leopards were found in this area; it was known that Wakhan was one of their Afghan homes. Researchers were taken about to find such a healthy populations, however. There was a fear that war and poaching would have taken their toll on the snow leopards. Said John Barker, species programme manager at the World Wildlife Fund UK, "It's really good news to know that the population is in a better state than people were worried."

Have you ever seen a red-crested tree rat before? No you haven't, you liar! That is, unless you're Lizzie Noble or Simon McKeown, who earlier this month were the first people since 1898 to encounter the species. 1898. That's 113 years ago, for those of you who don't feel like doing the math. What's more, while these cute little critters were hiding from us all this time, we didn't even realize they were hiding. We thought they were gone. Vamoosed. Kaput. Extinct.

Here's what happened. At approximately 9:30 p.m. on May 4, an apparently curious red-crested tree rat (Santamartamys rufodorsalis) showed up at the ProAves El Dorado Nature Reserve in Colombia and paid a visit to the aforementioned Noble and McKeown, volunteers at the reserve monitoring endangered amphibians. "He just shuffled up the handrail near where we were sitting and seemed totally unperturbed by all the excitement he was causing," said Noble in a press release from ProAves. The rodent stuck around for two whole hours before retreating back into the forest.

"We are so proud that our El Dorado Nature Reserve has provided a safe haven for this enigmatic little guy to survive," says ProAves Executive Director Lina Daza.

Since these animals obviously aren't extinct as previously believed, they will be officially reclassified as critically endangered. While ProAves and El Dorado, ProAves' flagship reserve, exist primarily for bird conservancy, this new discovery has spurred a new effort by ProAves and Global Wildlife Conservation to save the species. Now that we know they're still here, let's hope we can keep them around for good.

Sad news for animal lovers today as Ming Ming, the world's oldest giant panda, has died at the age of 34. Ming Ming died on May 7, but the Chinese state media reported the news only just today, according to Agence France. The cause of death was kidney failure due to old age.

Ming Ming died at the Xiangjiang Wild Animal World, where she had been living since 1998. Before that, she traveled to zoos all over the world, including London and Ireland, according to the New York Daily News.

While the death of any one of these highly endangered animals is tragic, there is some comfort in knowing that Ming Ming's 34 years far outpaced those of most giant pandas, who to live for about 15 years in the wild, 22 in captivity.

With Earth Day coming up, we are featuring 15 of the most fascinating and, sadly, most endangered species on the planet. Read on to learn what's being done to ensure that they'll be around to inspire future generations.

Jaguar. Often mistaken for the leopard, an adult male jaguar can grow up to 250lbs. Even more surprising, this big cat's traditional range includes Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas. These days, however, most of the world's jaguar population resides in the rainforests of South America. The Northern Jaguar Project is currently reintroducing these awesome spotted cats on a preserve 125 miles south of the Arizona border.

American crocodile. The American crocodile is distinguishable from the more plentiful American alligator by its brown color and thinner snout which, even when closed, leaves the animal's lower teeth exposed. American crocodiles inhabit the brackish creeks and mangrove of Central America, Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela, and South Florida. While this croc was once under threat of extinction due to over-hunting, the American crocodile is now protected throughout most of its habitat.

In the Gobi Desert lives an endangered long-eared jerboa who hops around like a kangaroo but is the size of a mouse. The Zoological Society of London is paying close attention to this footage because of the threat of the species becoming extinct.

We are paying close attention to this footage because we want the jerboa to survive. And, well, we want the jerboa. Want, want, want so bad. His ears! His tail! That bounce! Check out the video. We are sure you'll agree.

When you love animals as much as we do, you find yourself drawn to animal-related items in every walk of life, and that includes reading material. These are a few of the animal books that I've been recommending to friends.

"100 Heartbeats: the Race to Save the Earth's Most Endangered Species," by Jeff Corwin
We won't lie -- this isn't the easiest read you'll find, but then again, it's never easy to read about animals suffering the effects of climate change. However, Corwin is careful to not only write about the animals facing possible extinction, but also write about what's being done to help them. He includes success stories from years past to show that there is hope and includes enough personal anecdotes to make each of these species, even the ones that aren't cute or cuddly, tug at your heartstrings.

Tigers could be extinct within two decades. That's the horrific prediction from experts, including James Leape, director general of the World Wildlife Fund. Although there were 100,000 tigers living in the wild a century ago, that number has dwindled to 3,200 and is falling fast due to poaching and loss of habitat.

This dire situation is being discussed right now in St. Petersburg, Russia at what's being considered the most significant meeting on the fate of a nonhuman species, reports ABC News. The four-day pow-wow, led by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, has officials from 13 countries in attendance and will run through Wednesday.

So what exactly is the goal of this tiger summit? It is to launch a plan to double the tiger population by the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese zodiac, 2022. And that is no simple feat.

The first five years of the 12-year plan will require an estimated $350 million in outside funding, reports the Associated Press, which will go toward enforcing stronger action against poaching (both of tigers and the animals tigers prey upon) and creating more protected areas for tigers in the 13 countries in which the big cats still roam wild: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam and Russia. This involves not only creating and implementing a plan to benefit the tigers, but finding a way to make it work for local communities as well, says Leape.

But that's not all. The summit is also an opportunity to discuss other areas that need focus, such as "source sites" -- the areas where tigers still breed -- which Joe Walston, the Asia director for the Wildlife Conservation Society, tells ABC News needs to be top priority.

For some good news about endangered animals, check out GNN's piece on the panda baby boom.

What's cuter than a tiger cub? Half a dozen tiger cubs!

Six tiger cubs made their public debut at the Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo in New York this week, according to to the WCS. The cubs come from two litters and two different subspecies of tiger. Three are Amur tigers and three are Malayan tigers.

Their arrival has zoo staff cheering. This is the first litter of Amur tigers born at the Bronx Zoo in more than 13 years. And it's the first time that Malayan tigers have ever been exhibited in the Bronx. The cubs can be seen at the zoo's Tiger Mountain exhibit, in adjacent exhibits that separate the subspecies.

"The birth of these tiger cubs is true cause for celebration," said Jim Breheny, WCS's Senior Vice President of Living Institutions and Director of the zoo. "The opportunity to be present and watch as these majestic creatures mature from playful cubs to awe-inspiring adults is an experience every New Yorker will enjoy. That both the Amur and Malayan tigers are part of the Tiger Mountain experience will make it easy for our guests to learn about both subspecies of tigers and how important it is to protect them in the wild."

According to the World Wildlife Fund, Amur tigers are native to eastern Russia, China, and North Korea, while Malayan tigers roam Thailand and Malaysia. All subspecies of tiger are critically endangered, with fewer than 3,500 tigers remain in the wild, according to the WCS news release.

The names of four of the cubs are Julian, Josie, Pepino, Claiborne but there are two who haven't been named just yet. What would you call the last two cubs? Let us know in the comments!

Could better marketing help save endangered species? That's the basic concept behind Painted Dog Conservation, a center established by Dr. Gregory Rasmussen to help save the canines formerly known as African wild dogs.

There are only a few thousand wild dogs left in Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and South Africa, while at the turn of the century, half a million of the animals lived in 39 countries throughout Africa. The wild dogs -- aka painted dogs -- which tend to be hated by local populations that blame them for killing livestock, are about the size of a German shepherd.

Why "painted dogs?" "Wild dogs" has become a pejorative, and so Rasmussen and his organization have worked to "rebrand" these animals. He calls them painted dogs because their distinctive coats make them look like they've just run through an artist's studio.

The Zimbabwe-based Painted Dog Conservation offers the animals a refuge from poachers, and rehabilitates injured dogs. Rasmussen founded the organization, originally called Painted Dog Research, in 1992, in response to the snares, shootings, and road kills that accounted for 95 percent of all wild-dog deaths. He gleaned that the local populations' attitudes toward the dogs were characterized by prejudice, ignorance, and hostility. PDC's uniquely holistic approach is Rasmussen's effort to save these animals from extinction.

We all have our favorite animals, but some species need our help more than others. Are you ready to lend a paw?

Tiger
It's hard to imagine a more iconic and recognizable species than the tiger. They are top predators, keeping the food chain balanced. Tigers are famous for their strength and power, reportedly covering up to 10 meters in a single horizontal leap. Yet only 3,200 tigers may be left in the wild, and their original roaming areas have decreased by 40 percent in the past ten years.

Deforestation and poaching are the chief culprits behind the tigers becoming endangered mammals. You can help by contributing to the Save the Tiger fund, a program of the National Fish and Wildlife Federation.

Magellanic Penguin
Penguins: Their social nature and waddling gait endears them to animal lovers worldwide. Unfortunately, 12 of the 17 penguin species are experiencing population declines. Why? Magellanic penguins, which live in South American waters, have faced a host of obstacles -- first, oil spills, and more recently, a loss of the fish they eat due to rising temperatures of ocean water.

Defenders of Wildlife sponsors a program which enables you to adopt a penguin, with funds going towards programs to help this endangered species.

As far as national mascots go, Australia's is one of the cutest, but unfortunately, the cuddly critters are also seriously endangered. Australia's koalas could become extinct in as little as 30 years, reports Agence France-Presse.

The Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) found that koala numbers have dropped significantly in the last six years. A recent survey of almost 2,000 forest sites around Australia estimates the population might be as high as 80,000, but could possibly be as low as 43,000. Either way, that's a drop from 100,000 in 2003, the AFP reported.

AKF chief Deborah Tabart described to the AFP the many factors that are to blame for the decline, including loss of habitat, climate change, and disease. Clearing forests for human settlement and agriculture stresses the animals and forces them to compete for food, and when humans move into formerly forested areas, many koalas are killed by pet dogs or traffic collisions. Hot, dry weather has increased bush fires that endanger the animals, and has lead to drought conditions that have reduced nutrients in eucalyptus, the favorite food of koalas. On top of all that, a large outbreak of chlamydia has also killed large numbers of the country's koalas.

Tabart told the AFP that all of these factors could drive the species to extinction by 2040.

Australia's threatened species committee is scheduled to make a recommendation about koala conservation by the middle of 2010, reports the AFP. In the meantime, we'll be crossing our fingers for the fuzzy-eared pseudo-bears.