Editorials

Five endangered animals you should know about

Avatar photo

20 October 2021

By Fraser

Animals are a beautiful and natural part to the planet’s ecosystem, and it is such a heartbreaking shame to see so many species become endangered by a multitude of factors.

In this article, we will look at five of these animals driven to devastation who are still on Earth, what it is that’s affecting them and how to combat it.

Recommended Reading: The Five Most Dangerous Animals in the World

Panda

Despite reports saying that pandas have increased their population in the past year due to conservation efforts, they remain an incredibly vulnerable species.

Logging and poaching are primary factors in panda numbers falling, with Chinese officials even loaning them out to other countries as diplomatic tools.

Panda rescue groups are focusing on building suitable habitats and food sources that they can rely on.

Tiger

Sadly, the beautiful tiger is on the edge of extinction. It was only a hundred years ago that over 100,000 wild tigers roamed across Asia, but due to widespread poaching, that number has dwindled to fewer than 4,000.

Most of this decline has occurred in this century alone, which is an absolute punch to the gut. Tigers are considered very valuable commodities to hunters with their body parts used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Tiger charities are aiming to reduce human-tiger conflict and conduct research on tiger-friendly policies that can help create a better environment for them to thrive.

Black Rhino

Just like tigers, the black rhino population saw a drastic drop in the turn of the 20th century. This is due to the value placed on their horns by poachers, and the body part is extracted in the most brutal of fashions to sell.

There has been an unbelievable effort to protect this species as the numbers are dwindling to a microscopic number. There are around 5,600 of them alive.

International law enforcement in countries where rhinos reside is being promoted in order to prevent the illegal hunting and sale of these wonderful animals’ horns.

Vaquita

This strange-looking creature is the world’s rarest marine mammal, found off the Gulf of Mexico. Their population has fallen drastically in the last few years due to illegal fishing operations. As a result, they are some of the most endangered animals in the world.

Interestingly, the first sighting was in 1958. This really shows what a loss it would be if only half a century after discovering them, we lost them.

Efforts to stop overfishing and to raise the issue to the Mexican government are being implemented to prevent the loss of this mysterious creature forever.

Mountain Gorilla

Mountain gorillas reside on top of trees in dense forests. The mountain gorilla population has seen its fair share of woes, including war, poaching, and habitat destruction.

The places that gorillas live in are unfortunately consistent with conflict. Places like Uganda and the Republic of Congo are rife with chaos and the gorilla population is caught in the middle of it.

Due to their properties being used as ingredients in many products, people are being encouraged to buy eco-friendly and sustainable goods that do not exploit the deaths of gorillas.

Like this article? Please share!