- Hawksbill Turtle
- Leatherback Turtle
- Cross River Gorilla
- Mountain Gorilla
- Western Lowland Gorilla
- Black Rhino
- Javan Rhino
- Sumatran Rhino
- Sumatran Elephant
- Sumatran Tiger
- Sumatran Orangutan
Despite how these species can be grouped into Turtles, Gorillas, Rhinos and a clear problem with Sumatra and wildlife, and tackled more widely, these animals receive no-where near as much public attention as Pandas because they're not seen as exotic like the Panda (with the arguable exception of the Rhino because of the horn).
Leatherback Turtle
- Largest species of sea turtle
- Shell is leather-like rather than hard like other turtles
- Migrate across both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
Endangered Because:
- Egg collecting
- Being accidentally caught by fishermen, and due to need air to breathe, they often drown before being brought to the surface
- Coastal development worldwide is reducing beach space for them to nest on
- Feeding grounds such as coral reefs are being destroyed because of "onshore activities"
What WWF is Doing:
- Reducing bycatching of turtles by working with fishermen to switch to "turtle-friendly" hooks
- Work with fisherman to help them save turtles stuck in nets
- Run an international competition to find creative ways of stopping bycatching
- Use satellite tracking to track movement to prevent future interactions between major fishing sights and turtles
- Establishes protected areas for turtles to nest, feed and migrate
- Patrols popular nesting beaches and equips local conservationists
Mountain Gorilla
- Live at much higher altitudes than other apes, up to 13,000 feet
- Only about 800 left
- Conservation efforts have been successful despite large amounts of civil unrest in the territories they inhabit.
Endangered Because:
- Humans encroach on their territory, forcing them higher up mountains into more dangerous conditions that can sometimes be deadly
- Gorillas that come into contact with humans can become vulnerable to human diseases, and have been known to die from the common cold
- Habitat gets destroyed for people to illegally farm for charcoal
- Poaching
What WWF is Doing:
- Supporting and educating communities around the habitat so that they understand the importance of the conservation work and don't need to become poachers
- Helps stop the illegal trade of Gorillas
- Works with and advises timber companies about sustainable logging
Sumatran Tiger
- Less than 400 left
- Other sub-species in similar areas have already gone extinct
- Smallest remaining species of tiger
- Noticeably darker stripes than other tiger species
- Well protected my Indonesian law
- Sumatra is the only place where tigers, rhinos, elephants and orangutans live in the same place and it's important for the biodiversity of the island that a top predator remains there.
Endangered Because:
- Hunting for the wildlife trade, poaching is responsible for about 80% of Sumatran tiger deaths
- Deforestation forces tigers into areas where humans live, increasing the risk of contact with humans which can result in tiger deaths
What WWF is Doing:
- Influence plans for the development of land in Sumatra to incorporate the habitats that the endangered wildlife needs
- Secures protected areas of forest for wildlife to live in
- Monitors tiger behaviour to identify key wildlife corridors to protect.
Black Rhino
- European settlers in Africa established farms and regarded Rhinos as vermin, so they were killed in vast numbers
- WWF's work with them has been going on since a Daily Mirror front page in 1961 that said Rhinos we're doomed because of human behaviour
- They are an important source of income for local communities because of tourism
- Large amounts of land that are reserved for Rhino conservation also benefits other wildlife, especially elephants.
Endangered Because:
- Poaching and illegal wildlife trade, mainly for the horn
What WWF is Doing:
- Monitors and helps stop poaching
- Uses rhino horn DNA tracking to monitor and tackle the illegal wildlife trade
No comments:
Post a Comment