Submitted BY

Hritik Singh VIII-B

Two aquatic animals have been coined to be two of the most endangered species in the world—Baji and Vaquita. The Baji only lives in the Yangtze River in China. Hence, it is called the Yangtze River Dolphin. It has always been one of the most extinct species since then. In an expedition done in 2007, there were only three Yangtze River Dolphins found. This was a very alarming situation but none of this news has made fishermen, who are catching dolphins, stop from what they have been doing for a living. Since 1986, various initiatives have been made to protect the Yangtze River Dophins. They have established five natural reserves along the middle and lower areas of the Yangtze River. These reserves have not been effective in preventing incidental deaths of the Yangtze River Dolphins and another rare cetacean species, the Yangtze fin-less porpoise.

The elusive Amur leopard has only 40 left alive in its population. Poaching is very big issue when it comes to the Amur leopard because their beautiful furs are being used for humanly desires like selling and trading. As this demeanor of man continues, more and more Amur Leopards distinct furs will be eradicated and, of course, will result in their world wide extinction.

Recognized to be the most endangered Rhinoceros species in the world, it is believed that there are only less than fifty Javan Rhinoceros left alive. They can only be found in Indonesia and Vietnam. The continuous ugly endeavors of human beings and loathing climate change, which is also a mere result of man’s indecent performances, will undoubtedly wipe out the Javan Rhinoceros sooner than expected.

An alarming population of only 500 Siberian tigers are still alive in the world. It is further predicted that they will be totally extinct by the year 2050 given that man still continues with their sullen lifestyle and practices. Some of these ghastly activities of human beings are forest destruction and hunting all, of which have dramatically reduced the population of tigers to a very decreased number. Despite the protection programs established by non-government sectors and government officials to save the Siberian tigers, poaching has still been a threat to their lives.

The Sumatran Rhinoceros are unique because it is the only Asian Rhinoceros with hair and two horns. It has an alarming population of 300, hence getting the fifth spot on this list. The good thing about their population is that their situation has slightly improved, coming from the world’s second most extinct species. Regardless of their improving circumstances they should still be monitored very closely.

Said to be the world’s most endangered primate, there are only around 300 Cross River Gorillas left. Their habitats are along the southern Cameroon-Nigerian border. Major reasons for their extinction are illegal hunting and the drastic change of climate which resulted in the loss of their habitats. Human encounters aggravate the situation as human population growth poses a great threat to preserving the region’s biodiversity levels. Illegal logging operations and extensive culture also harm the habitat of Cross River Gorillas.

Being the second rarest known primate in the world, there is an estimated 302-408 Mountain Gorillas left alive on the globe. It was during the early 20th century when game hunters became aggressive in hunting them down. People had misconceptions that mountain gorillas can threaten them and can pose a risk to their safety. Despite the efforts on establishing conservation initiatives, their population is still not secured as there are recurring threats from poaching and habitat loss.

With only five Rhinoceros species in the world, Black Rhinoceros only have a thousand species left alive from a 90,000 population. It is a noted drop from its original number. The major reason for their extinction would be poaching which has been extremely popular recently. They were hunted by poachers who take advantage of their horns and sell them for extremely high profits. Some were even threatened by its aggressive behavior. Their habitats have also been affected, primarily driven by climate change. Poaching and snaring have been very dangerous to the black rhino population. Even the privately owned rhino conservancies in Southern Zimbabwe are not sage anymore as landless people invaded them, thus, causing a great decline in the black rhino population.

The world’s ninth most endangered species in the world has only around 500 to 600 species left alive to its record. Its population declines by 15-25% a year since 1945. Vaquita is a family of porpoise and lives only in the Gulf of California, specifically, in the stretch of water between Mexico and Baja California. There are a number of reasons why Vaquita are slowly going extinct. One insurmountable major reason would be through incidental deaths caused by fishing gears. They also die in gillnet sets meant for mackers, chano, rays, and sharks. Vaquitas are also vanquished by commercial shrimp trawlers. Another possible reason for their death is climate change which affects their food availability and habitat along the Gulf of California. Around 30 Vaquitas die from time to time due to these activities and threats.

With a remaining population of only 1,200 and a decline rate of 50% every 50 years since the time it was discovered in 1841, Boreno Pygmy Elephants have been on the lists of the world’s most endangered species. Due to forests being transformed into residential or commercial areas, elephants are losing their habitats and are seen and exposed to people momentarily. This aggravates their extinction as human settlements and interactions make them vulnerable. Some would even catch them by using snares. 20 percent of the population of these elephants have already experience injuries because of these abhorring man-made snares.

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