Currently, more than 500 vertebrate species are facing extinction. The higher extinction rate is being caused by human activities such as pollution and poaching. Extinction is irreversible, so if you are an environmentalist, here is a list of endangered animals that you can help preserve.

Gorillas

Gorillas’ DNA is 98.3% similar to that of human beings. They can laugh, feel emotions and a lot of their behavioural patterns are also very similar to human beings’. There are two species of gorillas, and they each have two subspecies. Three out of the four subspecies are critically endangered due to poaching, disease, human conflict and habitat loss. Their low reproductive rate makes it harder for these animals to recover, so we must preserve and protect the remaining ones.

Rhinos

Rhinos are hunted because of their horns which are used in traditional Chinese medicine and sold on the black market for thousands of dollars. The most endangered rhino species are the black rhino, the Sumatran rhino and the Javan rhino. The Sumatran rhino is currently the most threatened out of all rhino species with less than 80 remaining in different parts of Indonesia. There are approximately 67 Javan rhinos remaining, but they have all been confined to one park, which gives them a better chance of survival.

Sea turtles

The Kemps Ridley turtles and the Hawksbill turtles were declared critically endangered on the IUCN red list of threatened species. Just like the first two animals, hunting remains the biggest threat to sea turtles. They are hunted for their shells, meat, eggs and skin. Climate change, pollution, and habitat loss also threaten their survival. With sea-levels rising, breeding grounds could disappear. Also, temperature changes could alter the sex ratio of the remaining population. Their sex is determined by sand temperature - females hatch in warmer temperatures and males in colder temperatures.

Amur Leopard

This is the world’s most endangered big cat. Amur leopards are hunted for their beautiful fur and bones which are sold for a fortune in the black market. In 2015, only 92 Amur leopards were left, but now their number is estimated to be less than 70. Wildfires and climate change have also contributed to their decreasing numbers.

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