30+ Endangered Animals That Need Our Help
Here's what you can do to help these species in danger of extinction.
Listen up: These animals need our protection. Scientists at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), use four different categories to measure exactly how close a species is to extinction. These categories include: vulnerable, endangered, critically endangered, and extinct in the wild. Sadly, every animal on this list falls somewhere in that range.
There are plenty of ways you can help to protect these animals. One of the best ways to start is by protecting the earth that we share. Simple ways to do this include buying sustainable products (like ones made without palm oil), cutting back on single-use plastics, reducing water consumption, and volunteering at a Wildlife Rehabilitation Center near you. If you want to know more about what you can do for these creatures, visit the World Wildlife Fund for more information.
Stellar Sea Lion
While the Eastern U.S. population of Stellar Sea Lions have been growing steadily (yay!), the Western U.S. population has taken a dip over the years. Because boat strikes and pollution are big factors for this decline, critical habitat and protective zones have been set up for these sea lions.
Giant Panda
Thanks to tougher hunting laws and conservation efforts, the number of these beloved gentle giants has gone up, despite the continued threat of loss of habitat.
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Eastern Lowland Gorilla
Researchers have estimated that the number of lowland gorillas has decreased 50% since the 1990s, but political unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has created an environment ripe for poachers, makes the exact numbers hard to track.
Green Turtle
The real-life version of Crush from Finding Nemo is the Green Turtle, the largest sea turtle and the only herbivore. According to the WWF, "green turtles are threatened by overharvesting of their eggs, hunting of adults, being caught in fishing gear, and loss of nesting beach sites."
Bonobos
Humans actually share 98.7% of their DNA with this primate found in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Like the Eastern Lowland Gorilla, civil unrest and poaching have been a threat to this species.
North Atlantic Right Whale
Many species of whales have suffered from the effects of climate change and human exploitation, but the Right Whale sadly may have suffered the most. There are only about 400 of these whales remaining due to commercial whaling, entanglement in fishing gear, and the degradation of their habitat.
Chimpanzee
Native to the forests and savannahs of Africa, these highly resourceful apes are known for their advanced social rituals and use of tools to help them eat. Unfortunately, endangered chimpanzees are illegal hunted for their meat, which is considered a delicacy in parts of Central Africa.
Kordofan and Nubian Giraffes
Two subspecies of giraffe have been added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature list of critically endangered animals. Native to Africa, the Kordofan and Nubian giraffes are dying out because of habitat loss and poaching.
Black-Footed Ferret
These furry critters are the most endangered mammals in North America, according the World Wildlife Fund, with around 300 left across the continent. Their existence is threatened by disease and loss of habitat.
Red Panda
There are only around 10,000 adult red pandas in the wild due to poaching and loss of habitat. Conservation efforts have included making red panda hunting illegal in certain areas, but their low birth rate makes the process a slow one.
Tapir
Four of the five species of tapir that exist in areas of South America, Central America, and Southeastern Asia are either endangered or vulnerable because of poaching and the destruction of their habitats. Tapirs also have a slower reproductive rate, which has made conservation efforts a bit of a challenge. They carry one baby at a time and pregnancies last 13 or 14 months.
Peruvian Black Spider Monkey
Habitat destruction and being hunted for the Amazonian meat trade caused this species to be added to the endangered lists in 2014. Their population has been cut in half over the past 45 years. In recent years, their status has been updated to "vulnerable" rather than "endangered."
Okapi
Okapi, also known as the "forest giraffe," was classified as endangered in 2013 after the discovery that their population went down 50% over an 18-year period. This is due in part to ongoing conflict in their native Democratic Republic of the Congo which has destroyed their habitat. Also, like most of the animals on this list, they are targets for poachers.
Hawksbill Turtle
This species, found near tropical reefs in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans, is dying out because their shells are sold in black markets. Sea turtles have been on the earth for 100 million years, but there are only around 15,000 Hawksbills in the world that are capable of laying eggs.
Kakapo
The kakapo or "owl parrot" is a flightless bird native to New Zealand listed as critically endangered. There are less than 150 in existence due to an incredibly slow reproductive cycle (every two or three years). Conservationists have been working to ensure the survival of the kakapo chicks to keep the species from disappearing entirely.
Honeycreeper
The Hawaiian honeycreeper population is on the decline as a result of disease and habitat destruction. Research published in Science Advances in 2016 found that various honeycreeper subspecies have gone down between 68% and 94% over the last 10 years. Several organizations, including the Maui Forest BirdRecovery Project, work toward the conservation of the remaining honeycreepers.
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