Throughout the last five years, the populations of animals around the earth have changed. Some for numbers changed to good, and some not so good. First, to bring to light five animals that have recovered from near extinction since 2016; the gray wolf, the bald eagle, the gray whale, sea lions, and white rhino. Although this news should be celebrated, other subspecies have been moved to near extinction since 2016. Today, we highlight the the Vaquita, the Javan Rhino the Mountain Gorilla, Tigers, and Asian Elephants. These five animals are some of the most critically endangered species as of 2021. Another comparison to five years ago when only particular subspecies of tigers were endangered, it is 2021, and now the whole species is on the critically endangered list. Let’s look more closely into some of the most critically endangered animals this year and how you can help.
1. Vaquita: As of 2021, there are fewer than 10 Vaquitas on earth. At only around 5 feet long, Vaquitas are also the smallest endangered marine animal. You can mistake them for dolphin calves, however Vaquitas has black patches around their eyes and mouthes. Vaquitas are often threatened by drowning in fishing gear, and are on the edge of extinction if we don’t change our actions. But you can help, check out this website to learn how: https://porpoise.org/knowledge-base/can-save-vaquita-porpoise/
2. Javan Rhino: Only about 60 Javan Rhinos are living right now. Unlike some other rhino subspecies, Javan Rhinos only have one horn. Because of natural catastrophes, habitat loss, diseases, and poaching, these rhinos may not have many years left if we aren’t careful.
3. Mountain Gorilla: Like their name, mountain gorillas live in high up areas. They are a subspecies of the eastern gorilla, and have been classified endangered since 2018. Since then, the situation has gotten worse, there are less than about 880 left in the wild.
4. Tigers: Including the whole species of tigers, there are about 3,900 left in the wild. The Caspian tiger went extinct in the 1970’s mainly due to hunting and habitat loss. The South China Tiger may not be far off from going the same pathway as the Caspian tiger. There are less than 20 left in the wild, although there are a small population in captivity within China.
5. Asian Elephant: Asian Elephants look like the ordinary picture of an elephant, however their population numbers aren’t so great. There are many organizations that strive to save the elephants, so you can help too!
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