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Endangered Species Day 2020: History, celebrations, top 5 endangered species

Endangered Species Day 2020: Endangered Species Day highlights the plight of numerous at-risk and significantly endangered types of wildlife

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Endangered Species Day 2020: History, celebrations, top 5 endangered species

Endangered Species Day highlights the plight of numerous at-risk and significantly endangered types of wildlife, and emphasize ways that we can alter our behavior in small ways every day to be able to assistance to safeguard and save these animals.

Each year on the third Friday in May, National Endangered Species Day offers an opportunity for everyone to learn about the importance of protecting endangered species. The species that are at high risk of extinction are commonly known as endangered species. There may be various reasons like loss of habitat, loss of its population, etc. that increases the risk of a particular species to become endangered or go extinct.

History of Endangered Species Day:

The first Endangered Species Day was held in 2006, but there’s been official recognition of the issue for far longer than that. Laws have been on the books for more than forty years designed to protect species. In some countries, for instance, rules forbid economic development if it puts a particular species at risk of extinction. Many stipulations also prevent people from developing areas that are of exceptional ecological significance, such as bird breeding grounds and diverse swampland.

60% wildlife wiped out, ours last generation that could act: WWF Report

Celebrations of Endangered Species Day:

Many conservation groups, zoos, and wildlife organizations hold a variety of events. These events focus on saving endangered species, improving conservation and education. They host seminars and exhibits aimed at raising awareness across the nation. They also offer discounted or free passes to their facilities. Some ways to participate in the day include:

  • Don’t buy illegal wildlife products, such as ivory
  • Avoid unsustainable food products, such as palm oil
  • Donate to a conservation group or wildlife organization
  • Educate yourself on endangered species
  • Learn more about the Endangered Species Act

This year due to the coronavirus pandemic it would not be easy to celebrate Endangered Species Day by conducting events and seminars. Nevertheless, social media to the rescue.

Use #EndangeredSpeciesDay to post on social media.

Top 5 Endangered Species:

Javan rhinoceros

Javan Rhina

Once the most widespread of Asian rhinos, Javan rhinos are now listed as critically endangered. With only one known population in the wild, it is one of the world’s rarest large mammals.

There are between 58 and 68 in the wild, with none living in captivity. The rhinos are often poached for their horns, although the loss of habitat, especially resulting from the Vietnam War, has also contributed to their decline.

The only population of Javan rhinos can be found in Ujung Kulon National Park on the south-western tip of Java, Indonesia. The only other population, in Vietnam, was wiped out in 2010.

Asian elephants

Asian elephants

Asian elephants have been considered an endangered species since 1986, as their population has decreased by at least 50% over the last 75 years or so. There are fewer than 50,000 remaining in the wild.

Fragmentation, deforestation, and an increasing human population are destroying the elephants’ habitat and decreasing the space available for them to live in.

The Sri Lankan, Indian and Sumatran Asian elephants can of course be found in their countries of name and other mainland Asian countries.

Orangutans

Orangutans

Over 104,000 Bornean orangutans still live in the wild, and can be found in both Malaysian and Indonesian Borneo. There are just 14,000 Sumatran orangutans left, naturally living on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The rarest of all is the newly-discovered Tapanuli species, with just 800 left in the wild.

Once widespread, the orangutan has been considered critically endangered since 2000, and is one of the world’s most endangered primates. A century ago, more than 230,000 orangutans lived in our world, but their numbers have now dropped by around half.

Stellar Sea Lions

Stellar Sea Lions

Steller sea lions are protected under both the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The western distinct population segment (DPS) is listed as endangered under the ESA and, therefore, also designated as depleted under the MMPA. As a result, the stock is classified as a “strategic stock”.

In November of 1990, the Steller sea lion was permanently added to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife.

Giant Panda

Giant Panda

One of the main reasons that panda populations have declined is habitat destruction. As the human population in China continues to grow, pandas’ habitat gets taken over by development, pushing them into smaller and less livable areas. Habitat destruction also leads to food shortages. Pandas feed on several varieties of bamboo that bloom at different times of the year. If one type of bamboo is destroyed by development, it can leave the pandas with nothing to eat during the time it normally blooms, increasing the risk of starvation.

Wildlife reserves have been set up in parts of China to make sure the pandas have a home, and care is taken to make sure they survive in the wild. Researchers continue to study how pandas breed to increase the population.

 

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