Here’s Where To Visit Earth’s Endangered Species
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Gwen Weustink
Endangered animals face threats every day, from the growing danger put forth by climate change (which has also affected some of the most beautiful islands in the world) to the loss of habitat brought on deforestation and the palm oil industry. With their populations dwindling, one thing you can do to support the welfare of beautiful animals like the Bornean orangutan and the black rhino is to embark on sustainable tourism to their native countries. Here’s where you need to go to get a glimpse of some of the rarest animals on the planet.
Amur Leopard And Amur Tiger — Amur Region, China/ Russia
The Amur-Heilong river basin forms the border between the Russian Far East and Northeastern China, originating near the birthplace of Genghis Khan. The region is home to indigenous people, as well as the critically endangered Amur leopard and the endangered Amur tiger, also known as the Siberian tiger. There are an estimated 60 remaining Amur leopards and approximately 500 Amur tigers left on earth.
Black Rhino — Southern And Eastern Africa (Namibia, Zambia, Malawi)
Popular with poachers for their horns — which are collected as status symbols for the wealthy, as well as used in traditional Vietnamese and Chinese medicine for their supposed curative properties against cancer and other ailments, black rhinos are being rapidly lost to the illegal wildlife trade, as well as the loss of their natural habitats in southern Africa. Today, the black rhino is limited to nature reserves, where their presence is still threatened by illegal poaching. Today, there are an estimated 5,000, or fewer, black rhinos remaining.
Bornean Orangutan — Borneo And Sumatra, Indonesia
Human activities like mining, hunting and illegal logging and deforestation have led to to the steady decline of orangutans, which live in the forests of Borneo and Sumatra in Indonesia. Orangutans are important to the forest ecosystem because their diets have been known to contain hundreds of plant species, which allows for vast seed dispersal. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), up to 500 orangutans from Borneo are sold into the pet trade each year for hundreds of dollars each, which is particularly disruptive because they have an extremely low reproductive rate. Approximately 104,000 Bornean orangutans are left in refuges and the wild.
Cross River Gorilla — Cameroon And Nigeria
Although hunting and poaching gorillas is illegal, habitat encroachment by humans has made the Cross River gorilla, one of the least-known gorilla species, decline in population to approximately 200 to 300. According to the WWF, there are an estimated 11 groups of Cross River gorillas across the rainforests and forests of Cameroon and Nigeria, but there is rarely interaction between groups.
Hawksbill Turtle — Coral Triangle (Southeast Asia), Mesoamerican Reef (Caribbean Sea), Coastal East Africa
Known for their trademark “tortoiseshell” markings that make their shells highly valuable, hawksbill turtles are mostly found in the coral reefs of tropical ocean waters, but climate change events like coral bleaching have threatened their habitats. Hawksbills are important to ocean ecosystems because they primarily feed on sponges, giving reef fish more room to survive on the reef. Hawksbills are popular attractions and are considered a valuable tourism asset, but they are often caught so that their shells can be made into jewelry and trinkets. Population estimates put the number of nesting females between 20,000 and 23,000.
Javan Rhino — Ujung Kulon National Park, Indonesia
Of the five rhino species in existence, Javan rhinos are the most critically endangered of all, with a remaining population of 60 in one protected area of the world — Indonesia’s Ujung Kulon National Park. Low genetic diversity and natural disasters like tsunamis and volcanic explosions, to which the park is vulnerable, threaten the last remaining Javan rhinos on Earth.
Malayan Tiger — Malay Peninsula And Southern Thailand
Illegal poaching and logging operations have decimated the Malaysian forests that serve as the home for native tigers, as well as Asian elephants and clouded leopards. In Malaysia, the conversion of forests into agricultural areas have led to tigers killing and eating farmers’ livestock. Tigers are often killed by locals or authorities out of retaliation, which then puts tiger parts on the black market for use in folk medicines and as a sign of wealth. Today, there are an estimated 250 to 340 Malaysian tigers remaining.
Saola — Vietnam And Laos
Also called the Asian unicorn, the saola is a mysterious and little-known antelope that was only discovered in 1992. It is also the first mammal to have been discovered since 1936, and is found in the Annamite Mountains of Laos, which is known for its significant biodiversity. The saola’s greatest threat has been poaching, and as of 2001, it is estimated that there are 700 or fewer saolas remaining, though some estimates put this number as low as 70. To date, scientists have only seen this animal in the wild four times.
Sumatran Elephant — Borneo And Sumatra, Indonesia
Sumatran elephants face the same threat to their habitat as other endangered species like the Sumatran rhino, tiger and orangutan, all of which live in the forests of Borneo and Sumatra. Deforestation and the unsustainable production of palm oil, which is used in hundreds of food products as a cooking oil and shortening agent, has resulted in the rapid loss of habitat in a single generation. An estimated 2,400 Sumatran elephants are left, including those in national parks and reserves.
Vaquita Porpoise — Gulf Of California, Mexico
One of the rarest marine mammals in the world is the vaquita, a small porpoise that was only discovered in 1958. Illegal fishing operations in Mexico’s Gulf of California often result in vaquitas getting caught in fishing nets and drowning, leading to their deaths. It is estimated that there may be as few as 30 vaquitas remaining in the world and they may be fully extinct by 2018 if illegal fishing operations continue.
Yangtze Finless Porpoise — Yangtze, China
Notable for having a level of intelligence to match a gorilla, the Yangtze finless porpoise is a close cousin of the Baiji dolphin, which has been declared functionally extinct. Overfishing, as a well as pollution and interference from ships, are the main factors responsible for the decline of the finless porpoise. An estimated 1000 to 1800 finless porpoises are left in the world.
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