The world is changing at a very quick speed. Overpopulation, deforestation, political strife, wildfires, dwindling sources of freshwater, and climate change are some of the many reasons behind this change. Even though scientists estimate that there could be more than 30 million animal breeds on the planet, a huge chunk of these are edging towards extinction due to man’s thirst for consumption and entertainment. These animals are hunted for meat, fur, and whatnot.
Here, we’ve compiled a list of animals that are on the verge of extinction. But remember, this list is not in any particular order because it is nearly impossible to know the exact population of all these animals.
1. Bengal Tiger
The Bengal Tiger is commonly found in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal. The two main reasons for their decline are poaching and loss of habitat. Even though tigers are considered to be charismatic animals, they are on the verge of extinction throughout the world, including the Siberian tiger and the Sumantran tiger.
2. Gharial (Gavialus Gangeticus)
A fish-eating crocodile, named Gharial, is found in the northern reaches of Indian Subcontinent. It has suffered a drastic decline in numbers since the early 1930s. The human population explosion has created grave anthropogenic hazards for the Gharials, particularly habitat loss, pollution, poaching, and death by fishing nets.
3. Dhole (Cuon Alpinus)
The Dhole, or commonly known as the Asiatic wild dog, is found in the mountainous regions of Southeast Asia, China, and India. Habitat loss, fewer prey animals, death from farmers, and contagious diseases are the main reasons for their decline,
4. Brown Spider Monkey
It is found in Colombia and north-eastern Venezuela. It lives in growth-rain forests. Tragically, 80 percent of these creatures do not exist and it primarily feeds on vegetation and fruit.
5. Komodo Dragon
The Komodo dragon is a type of monitor lizard and is known to be the world’s largest lizard. The population of these creatures was assessed at about 3000 individuals. Interestingly, Komodo female dragons can produce offspring by parthenogenesis, meaning, they can produce without their egg being fertilized. Komodo dragons would be able to last only if the Indonesian islands are well-maintained and their prey doesn’t disappear.
6. Borneo Elephant
It is also known as Borneo pygmy elephant and due to widespread habitat loss on the island of Borneo, Malaysia, the number of Borneo elephants have drastically declined since the 1980s. Generally, it is smaller than the Asian elephant. It has become domesticated in many areas although its closeness to people has brought it to numerous conflicts.
7. Orangutan
The word Orangutan translates to “person of the forest”. It exists on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra and is considered to be very intelligent. They are studied because of their ability to make tools and use them in clever ways. They also know how to treat their own illnesses by eating certain plants, types of soil or other minerals. But because of habitat loss, poaching, ad illegal wildlife trade, orang-utans are on the verge of becoming extinct. They have declined by 80% in the last 75 years.
8. Cotton-Top Tamarin
It is found in the tropical forests of North-Western Columbia and is also known as the New World Monkey. About 40,000 of them were used for biomedical research before 1976, though now they’re protected from such experimentations. About 6000 of them are known to be left in the wild.
Afterword
To conduct vital research on Australian wildlife, The Endangered Species Conservation facility manages a number of captive breeding programs and also partners with Government Authorities, universities, and zoological institutes. Interested students can volunteer from all over the world to learn about Australian wildlife and contribute to breeding and research programs.
