Posts Tagged ‘endangered’

New Animals Added to 2009’s Red List of Endangered Species

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The International Union for Conservation of Nature surveyed 47,677 of animal and plant species this year, ultimately listing 17,291 of the count under Red’s List of endangered species.

The Switzerland-based environmental group conducts a yearly examination of plant and animal species and 2009’s list topped last year’s by 2,800. However, the group admitted that the list is incomplete, and there remain millions of other specimens yet to be surveyed.

Rare Creepy Crawler: Super-Sized Spider Discovered

Orb weaver spider

Imagine a spider about the size of a standard-sized CD!  Researchers have discovered a rare super-sized spider.

Once thought to be extinct, the first Nephila komaci spider was first found in an old museum collection in South Africa in 2000.  A few years later, another specimen was found at a museum in Austria.  No other specimens were found until two females and one male were found in the Tembe Elephant Park in Africa.  The discovery is the first new Nephila species since 1879.

Elephants! 12 Things You Didn’t Know, Plus Photo Gallery

Amboseli elephants for elephant facts and photo gallery

Today’s elephants are under increasing pressure from habitat loss (due to explosive human population growth), poaching for ivory, and illegal trafficking.

Asian elephants are classified as endangered, and their population is declining. African elephants are considered near threatened, but a resurgence in elephant poaching is taking its toll.

To help raise awareness for these magnificent mammals, here are 12 things you didn’t know about elephants - and a compilation of beautiful photos (with baby elephants who will steal your heart)! Enjoy!

Freshwater Fish of the World - A Status Report

According to a 2008 study (Jelks et al), nearly 40% of freshwater species in North America are either at risk of disappearing or have already vanished. Representing some 761 distinct species, 230 are deemed “vulnerable”, 190 are threatened, 280 are endangered, and 61 are extinct (or extinct in the wild). These numbers represent a 90+% increase over a 1989 assessment of freshwater species. And these trends are consistent with assessments in Europe.

World’s Rarest Lemur Discovery in Madagascar

Greater Bamboo Lemur

Good news for the world’s rarest lemur!  A scientific survey has revealed that the Greater bamboo lemur, Prolemur simus, exists in more locations than previously recorded.   Less than 100 Greater Bamboo Lemur were known to exist in the wild.  But a scientific expedition into the rainforests of Madagascar has revealed the rare primate exists in twice as many locations as once thought. 

Tiger Protection Plan in India ‘Failing’; China Ambivalent About Tiger Poaching

Tiger image for article about Chinese demand fueling tiger poaching in India

Wildlife experts warn that India’s tiger protection plans appear to be failing - and a recent meeting reveals that China is not interested in curtailing its demand for endangered tiger parts.

Despite millions of dollars in funding, a new protection force, forest dweller relocation plans, and other measures, wildlife experts fear that India’s attempts to protect endangered tigers from poaching are failing.

A further blow to tiger protection efforts came when a recent meeting between India’s Minister of Environment and Chinese officials did not make any progress on the issue.

Koalas Threatened with AIDS-like Epidemic: Extinction Looms

Koala image for article about koala retrovirus, AIDS epidemic threatening extinction

Wildlife experts fear that the spread of an AIDS-like virus could force already threatened koalas into extinction.

Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) populations are in serious decline - victims of habitat loss, domestic dog predation, vehicular deaths, and bushfires.

Sadly, a new and deadly danger is facing the iconic koala: The koala retrovirus.

Endangered Arakan Forest Turtle Spotted in the Wild

arakan forest turtle

The Arakan forest turtle was once thought to be extinct until some specimens were found peddled as food in China. According to LiveScience, it was 1908 since a live specimen – just a single one – was last collected by an Army officer from Britain. But in an elephant sanctuary in Myanmar, a team of Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) personnel discovered five endangered turtle species, one of which is the Arakan forest turtle. The animal is small, with adults measuring less than a foot in length, and is characterized by its brown coloring and block mottling. Like many other turtle species in Asia, the Arakan forest turtle’s existence has been threatened by poaching.

Army’s Desert Tortoise Translocation Plans Successfully Halted

Desert tortoise image for article about stopping Army from moving them from Fort Irwin

The Army’s proposal to move 1,000 desert tortoises has been placed on hold by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, amid concerns over the Army’s previous plan that resulted in the death of 252 out of 600 tortoises.

The Center for Biological Diversity announced that a plan by the Army to move over 1,000 federally and state-listed threatened desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) from their Fort Irwin habitat to Bureau of Land Management lands has successfully been halted.

Vultures Killed and Sold as Roasted Chicken

Barbecue chicken image for roasted vulture article

A disturbing incident in Eket, Nigeria reveals that unsuspecting roadside barbecue patrons may have been eating vulture meat instead of chicken.

Hungry buyers tempted by the scrumptious sizzle of meat cooking over a charcoal fire may want to think twice before buying a snack from one of these outdoor roasting vendors. What they think is chicken could actually be … vulture.

Nearly 100 Endangered Pangolins Rescued

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Malaysian authorities rescued nearly 100 pangolins from a poacher who was planning to sell the endangered animals for meat and “medicine.”

A raid on a house in northern Kedah by officials from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks yielded 98 pangolins and three kilograms of pangolin scales. The Straits Times reported that the self-employed man in his 40’s was arrested, and faces up to 23 years in jail and a fine, if convicted of the five different illegal possession charges.

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