35 Animals Close to Extinction

1. Maria Vicenta B Galvez-Evangelista, SST1
DepEd-Zamboanga National High School West
Zamboanga City, Philippines

2. White rhino
Residing on this planet for the past 15 million years, a mere five
specimens of the animal are left today from a high of more than 2,000 in
1960. Of the five, only one is a male rhino, who is now under 24X7 armed
watch and living along with two other female rhinos at Ol Pejeta
Conservancy in Nanyuki, Kenya.

3. Sumatran tiger
With a population of less than 400, the Sumatran tigers are the smallest
surviving tiger subspecies; they are found in the patches of forest on the
Sumatra Island. Rampant deforestation and poaching have made the tigers'
future look bleak.

4. Vaquita
One of the rarest marine mammals, vaquitas are often caught and drowned in
gillnets used for illegal fishing operations in Mexico's Gulf of California. They
have large dark rings around their eyes and dark patches on their lips. Today,
less than 100 specimens of the animal are left behind.

5. Western lowland gorilla
The most widespread of all gorilla subspecies in the Congo Basin, their numbers
have rapidly decreased by as much as 60% in the last 20-25 years due to
poaching and disease.

6. Amur leopard
Found in the Russian Far East, Amur leopards are solitary hunters. Nimble-footed and
strong, they carry and hide unfinished kills so as not to attract other predators. Habitat
degradation due to rampant human activities is threatening their existence. Currently, a
mere 60 members of its family survive.

7. Javan rhino
The Javan rhino is dusky grey in color and has a single horn of up to
about 10 inches. Their skin has a number of loose folds, giving the
appearance of armour plating. Habitat loss and poaching have drastically
reduced their numbers over the years. Not more than 35 Javan rhinos
are currently roaming on the surface of the planet.

8. Sumatran elephant
Feeding on a variety of plants and depositing seeds wherever they go,
Sumatran elephants contribute to a healthy forest ecosystem. Civil
conflicts, hunting and poaching for tusks have reduced their population to
a mere 2,400 to 2,800.

9. Saola
Saola was discovered in Vietnam in 1992, after the recovery of a skull with
unusually long horns at a hunter's home. The discovery has been one of the
most spectacular zoological discoveries of the 20th century. Hunting, poaching,
habitat fragmentation and snares threaten their existence though.

10. Hawksbill turtle
Found throughout the world’s tropical oceans, hawksbill turtles have inhabited
the planet for over 100 million years. A vital link in marine ecosystems, they
help maintain the health of coral reefs and seagrass beds. They are extensively
poached for their coloured and patterned shells, which are sold in the market
at high prices as "tortoiseshells."

11. South China tiger
These tigers were hunted in thousands before a ban by the Chinese
government in 1979. A group of 30 to 80 tigers were last sighted in 1996,
prompting scientists to consider the animal as 'functionally extinct.'

12. Cross river gorilla
Very similar in appearance to the more numerous western lowland gorilla
(pictured), the small population of cross river gorillas living in the Congo Basin
faces an acute problem of habitat loss and poaching—resulting in a severe dip in
its population. The Congo Basin is left with not more than 200 to 300 cross river
gorillas currently.

13. Pangolin
They are known for their protective body armour made of scales. Eight species of
pangolins are currently found in Asia and Africa, of which, two have been listed as
critically endangered. They are being increasingly killed for their flesh and scales.

14. Mountain gorilla
Found in forests high in the mountains of the Congo basin, mountain
gorillas have thicker fur as compared to the other great apes. Ongoing civil
conflict, loss of habitat and poaching are threats to their population, which
currently stands at a meagre 880.

15. Yangtze finless porpoise
Known for their mischievous smile and an intelligence level comparable to
that of gorillas, human activities and pollution pose serious threats to the
remaining 1,000 to 1,800 members of this aquatic marvel.

16. Black rhino
One of the oldest mammals walking on Earth, black rhinos are virtually
living fossils. Once found extensively along the East Coast of Africa,
rampant hunting and poaching have made their numbers dwindle over the
last few decades. Today, not more than 4,848 rhinos survive.

17. Sumatran orangutan
The Sumatran orangutans are fruit eaters and play a vital role in the
dispersal of seeds over a huge area. Once found across the Sumatran island,
poaching and illegal pet trade have reduced their population to pockets in
the island's northern part now.

18. Sumatran rhino
In the last 15 years, only two captive female Sumatran rhinos have given birth. There
are three known subspecies: while two of them are found in the islands of Sumatra
and Borneo, the third is believed to be extinct. Poaching poses the greatest threat to
these animals.

19. Leatherback turtle
The largest sea turtle species are migratory in nature, crossing both the
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Though globally leatherback turtles are listed
as vulnerable, certain subspecies are critically endangered due to intense
egg collection and fisheries bycatch.

20. Guam rail
These flightless birds once inhabited the Guam Island in large numbers before the
island was invaded by brown tree snakes that led to their predation and subsequent
plummeting of their number. Today, they are confined to a captive-breeding facility
in Guam and across 14 zoos in the USA. In the last couple of decades, efforts have
been made to release small batches of rails in controlled environment to help
promote their breeding in the wild.

21. Boni giant sengi
The giant sengis are found in two coastal habitats on the south-eastern edge of Kenya.
While one of the habitats registered a decrease of 30% in their population, the other
region showed a marginal increase in the numbers. Fragmentation of habitat poses a
major threat to their existence.

22. Northern bald ibis
A mere 200 to 249 adult specimens of the bird are left confined to
certain regions of Morocco and parts of Syria. Though the birds have
been marked as critically endangered, they have shown significant
increase in their numbers in the last few years.

23. Mountain pygmy possum
These mammals, found in alpine and subalpine boulderfields and rocky scree in
south-eastern Australia, were designated as extinct till 1896. However, the
rediscovery of a single living specimen in a ski club lodge on Mount Hotham,
Victoria, in 1966, revived the hope of their survival. At present, there are only three
known populations, with a total population of less than 2,600. Destruction of their
habitat is the major reason for their dwindling numbers.

24. Northern hairy-nosed wombat
Indigenously Australian, these shy animals had completely disappeared in the early
20th century, after the loss of their only two known habitats in southern
Queensland and in New South Wales. Later, in the 1930s, a small population was
spotted in Epping Forest National Park in Queensland. According to a 2010 census,
163 wombats are said to have survived after efforts were made to protect its habitat.
(Pictured) Athlete Jana Pittman (L) and a zookeeper pose with a wombat during a
fundraising event to save the northern hairy-nosed wombats at the Australian
Museum in Sydney, Australia, on November 17, 2004.

25. African elephants
The once abundantly found animal witnessed a rapid deterioration in its
population in the last few decades due to trophy hunting and poaching,
with some regions losing 80% of their herds. In Kenya alone, their
population decreased by as much as 85% between 1973 and 1989. Today,
though over 300,000 elephants can be found in sub-regions of South Africa,
the numbers are not enough to put these giants of animals out of the
danger list.

26. Rabbs' fringe-limbed treefrog
The deadly chytrid fungus resulted in the extinction of the
entire species of the animal, barring one. The loneliest animal
in the world is currently residing in the Atlanta Botanical
Garden zoo in Georgia, USA.

27. Black-footed ferret
A concentrated effort by several NGOs and animal conservation organisations has
provided a new lease of life to the black-footed ferret, once considered to be extinct
in the wild. Currently, there are nearly 1,000 ferrets present across the North
American grasslands. Habitat loss and disease are the key threats to their
population.

28. Pygmy three-toed sloth
They are known to be the slowest animals in the world—so slow that algae grows on
their back giving them a natural cover from predators. Found only in Isla Escudo de
Veraguas, an isolated Panamanian island in the Caribbean, their numbers have
dwindled due to destruction of habitat.

29. White antelope
Also known as Addax antelope, these animals thrived in the extreme climate of the
Sahara desert for thousands of years. However, destruction of habitat and their
frenzied hunting by modern weapons have forced its population to the verge of
extinction. Currently, not more than 200 specimens of the animal remain in the
wild.

30. Philippine crocodile
This freshwater species is on the verge of extinction due to habitat destruction,
hunting and dynamite fishing. Only a handful of these animals survive in the wild
presently and aggressive conservation efforts are on to protect them from going
extinct.

31. Pygmytarsier
After its last sighting in1921, three specimens of pygmytarsier were
rediscovered 85years later in 2008.

32. Angel shark
They are commonly found in the eastern Pacific shores from Alaska to Chile. From
1977 to 1984, there was a mammoth increase in the commercial fishing activity of
this species in California, USA, alone—dramatically reducing their numbers to a
few thousands, so much so that the animal has been designated as extinct in several
of their former habitats.

33. Lord Howe Island stick insect
Commonly referred to as "land lobster," this nocturnal insect was primarily found in Lord
Howe Island in the Tasman Sea. However, in 1918, the introduction of black rats by a
ship that had run aground near the island led to the insects' massive predation and has
dwindled their number to not more than 30 specimens at present.

34. Przewalski's horse
The lastsurviving subspecies ofwild horse,theyoncefreely roamedthesteppealongthe Mongolia-China
border.Subsequentcapturingbyhumanbeings andinterbreedingwithdomesticatedhorsesmade their
numbersplummet in thewild.Today,onlyabout250of theremaining 1,500 Przewalski'shorsesare
foundin thewild.

35. Hula painted frog
On November15, 2011,a park rangerinIsrael found one specimen of the Hula painted frog, considered extinct since
the 1950s;a few days later, the discovery of a second specimen revived the hopes of its survival. Present in
abundancein the1950s,the population declined due to loss of habitat after drainingof the 15,000-acreLakeHula to
makeway for agricultural land.

36. PintaIsland tortoise
In June 2012,the lastsurviving member ofthe PintaIsland tortoisecommunity,famouslyknownas
LonesomeGeorge, died.However, recent genetic evidencefoundbyresearchersaroundEucador’s
GalápagosIslands haveraisedhopethatatleastone specimen ofthe species couldbestill alive and
breeding.

37. SOURCES
 http://www.msn.com/en-ph/lifestyle/life/close-to-extinction-
35-critically-endangered-animals/ss-
BBiLFEJ?ocid=LENDHP#image=35