Category Endangered Animals

            Gharials are large crocodiles found in the Indian subcontinent. They are among the largest living crocodiles in the world. These animals have long snouts and mouths with around 110 sharp teeth. The name of this species comes from the unique shape of their snouts. The snouts resemble earthenware pots used in India known as ‘gharas’, hence the name gharials.

            These animals were seen in Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Myanmar other than in India. But today, it is a critically endangered species that can be spotted only in India and Nepal.

            This change, experts say, has happened over the past decades. With increase in farming and agricultural practices, many habitats of the crocodiles were encroached. Then, factors like mining, pollution and other general disturbances contributed to environmental changes.

            History points out that the species came close to extinction by the 1970s, but was saved by a long-term captive breeding and re-introduction programme. However, in the late 1990s the population again declined. The National Chambal Sanctuary and Katar-niaghat Sanctuary are two of the places in the country where gharials are protected.

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            The proboscis monkey is a large tree-dwelling primate that is native to the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. With its long and pendulous nose, this is one among the most easily identifiable species of Borneo’s primates. Hence, it is also called the long-nosed monkey.

            Proboscis monkeys have partially webbed feet that make them excellent swimmers.

            Due to extensive habitat destruction and hunting, they have become endangered. Today, there are just less than 1000 of them remaining in the world. Conversion of forest land for agriculture, and palm-plantations pose major threats to their existence.

            They are also vulnerable to poaching. They are hunted for bush meat, as well as to make traditional Chinese medicine. Hence, the population is said to have reduced by more than 50 per cent in the past four decades.

            Experts note that proboscis monkeys are highly sensitive to digestive complications, noise pollution, diseases, and human interference. They are therefore, protected by law, throughout the Borneo range.

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            The black-footed ferret is a member of the weasel family that is native to North America. This short-legged animal with a slender body is perhaps, the rarest mammal in the country.

            They are nocturnal animals that leave their burrows at night. Most of their time is spent underground. Prairie dogs form the major part of the diet of a black-footed ferret. It is said that the animal eats more than 100 prairie dogs in a year.

            Once numbered in the tens of thousands, this ferret species had almost been extinct in the 1960s. But slowly, they made a comeback. However, black-footed ferrets are still endangered with just around 300 individuals in the wild, and almost the same number in captive breeding facilities.

            The main threat facing ferrets is habitat destruction. Non-native diseases too pose an equally dangerous challenge, hampering their recovery. Another reason is the massive killing of prairie dogs. This leaves ferrets without food. Many programmes have been undertaken to protect this species from extinction.

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            Bornean orang-utans are a species of orang-utans that are seen on the island of Borneo. Sharing more than 90 per cent of their DNA with humans, orang-utans are highly intelligent and skilled animals. They are small sized apes that eat over 500 plant species for their diet.

            Experts hold that orang-utans are important for the major role they play in seed dispersal. This helps, in a large way, in keeping forests healthy.

            But this species is also special, and rather precious, because of their falling numbers, According to the IUCN, the population of Bornean orang-utans has dropped by almost two-third since the 1970s.

            The most important factors contributing to this includes hunting and conversion of forest land. The pet trade using young orang-utans that involves huge cash is another threat before the species.

            Besides these, there are merciless attacks and sometimes killings by local residents, when the orang-utans move into agricultural areas and feed on them.

            The WWF is one of the few organisations that work with governments, and local bodies to conserve Bornean orang-utans.

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            Amur leopards are known by different names across the world- as Manchurian leopards, Far Eastern leopards, or Korean leopards. They are a critically endangered subspecies that are just less than 70 in number.

            This attractive wild animal is native to the Primorye region of southeastern Russia, and the Jilin province of northeast China. Like other leopards, they too run at a speed of up to 60 kilometres per hour.

            In general, amur leopards are very strong and solitary beings. However, they are on the verge of being extinct. In spite of having some tracts of suitable habitats in Russia and China, encroachments, new roads and developmental activities into the wild have badly affected their population.

            However, the main reason for the fall in number of amur leopards is massive poaching. They are hunted mostly for their beautiful skin. Reports show that in many instances, the locals living around the habitats have killed these leopards for skin.

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            Asian elephants are those distributed throughout Southeast Asia, from India to Borneo. With its immense size and strength, this largest living animal has played an important role in our economies, religions and culture.

            By nature, Asian elephants are extremely sociable animals that form groups of six to seven individuals. Most of their time is spent feeding on grasses, but they also eat tree bark, roots, leaves, and small stems besides cultivated crops like bananas and sugar cane. They prefer staying close to sources of fresh water.

            Although suitable habitats exist for this species, Asian elephants are still endangered. In India, the biggest threat is habitat loss.

            In general, these elephants face the great risk of poaching too. Their tusks are the main reason why they are hunted. They are captured alive to be used as tourist attractions or sometimes, to be used in circuses and other inhumane entertainments. Different countries have taken different legal measures to protect their elephant species. Trading in ivory and elephant hunting is illegal in most countries.

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            As the name suggests, Mexican prairie dogs are a species of prairie dogs found in Mexico. They mostly inhabit flat prairies, and valleys between mountains, at a height of 1600 to 2200 metres.

            Thought to be highly social rodents, Mexican prairie dogs belong to the same family as squirrels. They live in extensive burrow networks known as towns. Depending on the habitat, each town may have up to a hundred individuals! This species is active during the day throughout the year, and feeds on just grasses.

            However, one cannot see many of these individuals together anymore, as Mexican prairie dogs have become an endangered species. Habitat loss is the main reason for the decline in the number of Mexican prairie dogs. It is also hunted for food, and poisoned by locals, since the dogs are believed to destroy farms.

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            As strange as their name, tapirs are animals that look like pigs with a trunk, but they are in fact, related to horses and rhinoceros. Baird’s tapir is a Latin American species of tapir that is seen in Mexico, Central America, and North-western South America.

            Not many researchers have been conducted on the lives of Baird’s tapirs. But experts say that the animals are shy and solitary, and live in forests, close to areas that have a permanent water supply.

            With less than 5500 individuals left in the wild, Baird’s tapirs are classified as endangered animals by the IUCN.

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            The Andean cat is considered to be one of the cutest, and the most endangered wild cats in the world. It is a small feline with long soft fur, a thick tale and pale silvery gray colour.

            Andean mountain cats are found in the areas of the Andes Mountains of Chile, Argentina, Bolivia and Peru. The cat is believed to be a solitary animal. Its population is estimated to be less than 2500, and hence, is classified as endangered by the IUCN.

            The main reasons for the danger these cats face is habitat loss, cattle grazing, and hunting. It is said that many Andean cats have been killed by local people who believe that the cats are predators of their domestic animals. They are also killed by local shepherds or their dogs, and hunted for food and traditional medicine in places in Peru. Besides, the reduction of its prey is also a factor for the decline of this cat population.

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            The brown spider monkey is one of the seven species of spider monkeys that can be spotted in the forests of Northern Colombia and Northwestern Venezuela.

            They are primates that prefer undisturbed dense forests, and stay most of the time high in trees. Instead of walking or running on all fours, these monkeys travel mostly by swinging and climbing.

            However, it is not for their strange eating habits that the brown spider monkeys are in the news, but for the threat of extinction they face. This species was among the world’s 25 most endangered primates as of 2004 and 2006, and has been classified as critically endangered, by the IUCN Red List.

            Hunting and habitat destruction due to human encroachment, conversion of forests into agricultural lands etc. are the main factors that threaten them. Its slow reproductive rate also makes the situation worse.

            Serrania de San Lucas in southern Bolivar is one of the places where the monkeys are protected. There are also various zoos, especially in Europe, that provide them safe shelters.

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