Some time ago, I wrote a couple of articles about honeybees. Shortly after I posted the first one, the rusty-patched bumblebees—the honeybees’ cute and furry cousins—became officially a part of the endangered animals list. One reason things have come to this is because not a lot of people know about the plight of the bumblebees. If we raise awareness on such endangered creatures, perhaps society will treat them more carefully. So as a way of mitigating wildlife myth-making, let’s look at four animals which most people think are common but are, in fact, critically endangered.

Critically Endangered Animals

Rhinos

Despite their horned and formidable appearance, rhinos are gentle herbivores who have no natural predators. None except for humans. Poachers kill rhinos for their horns because some cultures believe that they can be used as an aphrodisiac and as medicine.

The Guardian published a report showing a frightening increase of rhinos killed in recent years: in 2010, 333 rhinos were killed; 2011, 448; 2012, 638; 2013, 1,004; and in 2014, 1,215—nearly quadruple the casualties in five years. Now, all except one rhino species are critically endangered.

Tigers

Tigers originally had nine subspecies. However, three of them (Amur, Bengal, Indochinese) are endangered, another three (Malayan, South China, Sumatran) are critically endangered, and the other three (Bali, Caspian, Javan) are now extinct. These large cats are the quarry of game hunters who seek a challenge. This “sport” makes it worse for tigers because even if they survive a gunshot wound, their injury dampens their ability to chase prey, which are usually fast animals like deer.

Orangutans

Orangutan and humans come from separate branches of the Hominidae family. Ninety-seven percent of their DNA is similar to ours. Yet this close kinship does not stop us from destroying their homes. Habitat loss from deforestation is the main driving force for the orangutans’ decreasing population. Orangutans live in trees, and our exploitation of their environment for our own selfish expansion is causing their extinction.

The two orangutan species, Bornean and Sumatran, are exclusively found in the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra. Both species are critically endangered.

Gorillas

Like the orangutans, gorillas also come from the Hominidae family, but they have one up over their orange cousins as their DNA is ninety-nine percent closer to humans’. On the surface, they look frightening with their huge, stocky appearance and their menacing mannerism; however, gorillas are shy animals and would never attack unless provoked, and even despite their natural strength, there’s nothing that gorillas can do against the weapons of humans.

Aside from the same culprits plaguing the other three animals in this list, gorillas are also victims of war. Gorillas live only in Central Africa where civil wars rage. The conflicts in Congo, the Central African country with the highest number of gorillas, have almost pushed the great apes into extinction. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies all gorilla species (cross river gorilla, eastern lowland gorilla, mountain gorilla, and western lowland gorilla) as critically endangered.

Critical Conclusion

These are only four animals that are critically endangered. Other animals include leopards, bonobos, whales, and elephants. We take them for granted because we see them in zoos and in movies. But soon, they’ll fade into extinction if we continue to remain ignorant of their situation. Don’t let these animals become myths. Visit the World Wildlife Foundation’s website to know how you can help.

 

 

References

Vaughan, Adam. 2016. “Record number of African rhinos killed in 2015.” The Guardian, March 9. Accessed April 12, 2017. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/09/record-number-of-african-rhinos-killed-in-2015.

World Wildlife Foundation. Accessed April 12, 2017. https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/directory?direction=desc&sort=extinction_status.

Kasnoff, Craig. 2017. “Rhino Horns Seized by Malaysian Customs.” Accessed April 18, 2017. http://www.bagheera.com/rhino-horns-seized-by-malaysian-customs/.

Kasnoff, Craig. 2016. “No Decline in Tiger Trafficking.” Accessed April 18, 2017. http://www.tigersincrisis.com/journal/no-decline-in-tiger-trafficking.htm.

Tigers in Crisis. “Tigers in Crisis.” Accessed April 18, 2017. http://www.tigersincrisis.com/the_status.htm.

Bell, Loren. 2016. “Bornean orangutan declared ‘critically endangered’ as forests shrink.” The Guardian, July 7. Accessed April 18, 2017. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jul/07/bornean-orangutan-declared-critically-endangered-as-forests-shrink.

Sarawak Report. 2013. “Burning Borneo Causes Worldwide Concern.” Accessed April 18, 2017. http://www.sarawakreport.org/2013/06/burning-borneo-causes-worldwide-concern/.

Reilly, Katie. 2016. “The Congo’s Civil War Is Wiping Out Gorilla Populations.” Time, April 5. Accessed April 19, 2017. http://time.com/4282616/the-congos-civil-war-is-wiping-out-gorilla-populations/.

Defenders. “Basic Facts about Gorillas.” Accessed April 19, 2017. http://www.defenders.org/gorilla/basic-facts.

Bagheera. “Mountain Gorilla: An Endangered Species.” Accessed April 19, 2017. http://www.bagheera.com/inthewild/van_anim_gorilla.htm.

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