endangered

Language English

Endangered Indian Ganges river dolphin

Fight to save endangered Indian dolphin
River dolphin Sanjay Das

The dolphins grow to about 2.5m in length

The Ganges River Dolphin is one of the world's most endangered freshwater mammals.

Its numbers in South Asia have plummeted in recent decades. But Indian conservationists working on the Brahmaputra River hope to reverse the dolphin's decline by mobilising riverside communities to protect these amazing cetaceans. "We named one dolphin Rosie. I think Rosie is arriving here," said conservationist biologist Abdul Wakid, pointing to rippled brown water where Rosie had just surfaced, "She's really big." You have to be quick to see a Ganges River Dolphin. The sliver of back and tiny dorsal fin slipped beneath the surface within a second. At about 2.5m, Rosie is about as long as this species of freshwater dolphin grows. Despite her name, she's black in colour - distinct from the Pink River Dolphin of the Amazon River system. There used to be a blue-grey freshwater cetacean in China not so long ago - the Yangtze River Dolphin or Baiji. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) declared that species to be functionally extinct in 2007. Decades of hunting, harmful fishing practices, increasing boat traffic, pollution and dam building pushed the Baji to evolutionary oblivion.

Red List counts 'on the brink' species

The king cobra is the largest but certainly not the only threatened East Asian snake

East Asia's status as the world's main "extinction hotspot" is confirmed in the new Red List of Threatened Species.

The Awa of Northern Brazil may be the world's most endangered tribe.

About 360 of the lagely monadic tribe have had some contact with the outside world, and about 100 remain uncontacted.

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_crop","fid":"105","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","id":"media_crop_3713326677975","media_crop_h":"0","media_crop_image_style":"-1","media_crop_instance":"1","media_crop_rotate":"0","media_crop_scale_h":"0","media_crop_scale_w":"0","media_crop_w":"0","media_crop_x":"0","media_crop_y":"0","typeof":"foaf:Image"}}]]

The Awa are being encroached upon from all sides by loggers, who are clear-cutting and burning the forest that both the Awa and the animals they eat call home. Here, one of the Awa territories is outlined in white, with logging operations throughout the region clearly visible.

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_crop","fid":"106","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","id":"media_crop_3238925519411","media_crop_h":"0","media_crop_image_style":"-1","media_crop_instance":"2","media_crop_rotate":"0","media_crop_scale_h":"0","media_crop_scale_w":"0","media_crop_w":"0","media_crop_x":"0","media_crop_y":"0","typeof":"foaf:Image"}}]]

The Awa are hunter-gatherers, and travel in extended family groups of about 30. Families go on gathering expeditions, and extended hunts can last for weeks on end. However, the comparatively small groups are vulnerable to attacks by gunmen hired by loggers and ranchers.

Race to save Ecuador's 'lungs of the world'

The Napo River in Ecuador, an Amazon tributary, runs for 1,075km (668 miles).

The Yasuni National Park, known as

"the lungs of the world" and one of the most bio-diverse places on earth, is

under threat from oil drilling. The race is on to find the funds required to

develop new sustainable energy programmes that would leave the oil - and the

forest - untouched.

In the early light of dawn, the Napo River, running swiftly from its

headwaters in the high Andes, swirled powerfully past the bow of our motorised

canoe.

Suddenly, a dense cloud of green parrots swooped down from the canopy of the

jungle and in a cackling din started scooping tiny beakfuls from the exposed

muddy bank.

The heavy mineral rich clay, the birds seem to know, is an antidote to the

toxins present in the seeds of the forest which are a major part of their daily

diets.

As if on cue at 07:30 local time, as the first rays of

Burmese snub-nosed monkey photographed by a camera trap in May 2011

A conservation project to help

protect the rare Burmese snub-nosed monkey is one of 33 to get a share of UK

Government funding.

The species was photographed for the first time last year.

The project, led by Fauna and Flora International (FFI), will try to

establish how many of the monkeys are left and how best to protect them.

The money comes from a long-term scheme called the Darwin Initiative.

The Burmese snub-nosed monkey was described scientifically for the first time

in 2010 from a dead specimen collected by a local hunter.

In May 2011 researchers working in northern Burma captured the first pictures

of the species in its natural habitat.

A team from FFI, Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association (Banca),

and People Resources and Conservation Foundation (PRCF) took the images using

camera traps.

ENDANGERED SPECIES POPULATION NUMBERS - 2012

We have said elsewhere on Extinction.in that there are well over 5,000 species of officially Endangered or Threatened animals and birds on our planet. With this post, we will be providing you with ongoing and constantly updated population estimates and other information concerning the status of some of the Endangered, Threatened and Vulnerable species that are of special public concern—as well as statistics and status info on creatures that we think are special, in spite of their not being well known.

Endangered Species By The Numbers

Unless otherwise noted, all endangered species status information and population figures are taken from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Listings are alphabetical, by common name.

Picking a Ten Most Endangered Animals list was a tough job. For every critically endangered creature you select, you must leave out hundreds of other animals that are in just as much jeopardy.

That’s why we chose not to include the giant panda on our roster of the world’s ten most endangered animals. The panda, as appealing and important as it is, has gotten plenty of attention from conservationists and the public alike. Time to make room for another critically endangered animal or two that hasn’t had as much time in the spotlight of looming extinction.

Our 10 Most Endangered Animals

1 Ivory-Billed Woodpecker

Endangered means to be under threat or near extinction. When a species/animal is endangered it means that they are disappearing fast or have a very small population - not large enough to survive. Extinction means the end of existence for a species. The IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) have what is known as a Red List. This red list is a guide to how endangered a species is - animals are measured on a scale from 'Least Concern' to the worst 'Extinct'.

December

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30	31

Intense Mediterranean Sea heatwave raises fears for marine life - July 2025 Extinction.in
Three years left to limit warming to 1.5C, leading scientists warn - 2025 Extinction.in
Tropical forests destroyed at fastest recorded rate in 2024 Extinction.in
Global Ice Melt to Destroy World's Coastlines - 2025 Extinction.in
Celtic rainforest facing species extinction crisis - 2025 Extinction.in
The human-chimp bond captured in an iconic photo Extinction.in
Last male of his kind: The rhino that became a conservation icon Extinction.in
When hungry elephants and people clash in a village Extinction.in
US Reverses Course under Trump and other Countries follow suit, threatening the Planet - 2025 Extinction.in
"Pronatilism" Debunked! Extinction.in

endangered

Endangered Indian Ganges river dolphin

2012 - Species Critically Endangered near Extinction on IUCN Red List

Red List counts 'on the brink' species

The Awa of Northern Brazil may be the world's most endangered tribe.

Saving Ecuador's "Lungs of the World" Yasuni National Park.

Race to save Ecuador's 'lungs of the world'

Project to protect rare Burmese monkey gets new funding

ENDANGERED SPECIES POPULATION NUMBERS - 2012