For the last few centuries humanity has had a lot to be thankful for as our civilization
grew.
Decades after decades, we built cities and suburbs; paved new roads and freeways; and
built structures in places where we wouldn’t believe it to be possible.
Humanity has indeed made great leaps and bounds even at the cost of the environment.
As our industries continue to grow and our living spaces continue to expand, we have
– either consciously or not – effectively destroyed and encroached on the habitats of
certain wildlife; wildlife that are not used to the disruptions and pollution of our daily
lives – and with this, many animals are fighting for their lives to survive in this
ever changing world.
Unfortunately for some, there are animals that we will never see because we have greatly
contributed to wiping them out of the face of the planet.
So in today’s list we countdown to the 10 Animals That May Likely Go Extinct in Our
Lifetime.
Number Ten: The Hawksbill Turtle The earth is a planet whose majority is made
up of water.
Vast oceans, running rivers, untouched lakes in secret spots, the earth is one wet planet
and the wildlife in its waters is quite diverse and exotic.
The Hawksbill turtle is among the amazing creatures you can see underwater.
Its namesake comes from the beak-like mouth that is uses for plucking food from coral
reefs, mangroves, and lagoons.
A Hawksbill’s lifespan is typically between 30 to 50 years in the wild, if their habitats
are untouched by humans.
Unfortunately, due to the brown and gold sheen of their shells, the 23,000 nesting population
of female Hawksbills are threatened by poachers worldwide.
It is believed that between 1950 and 1993, the Hawksbill turtle’s population drastically
declined due to the demand and popularity of their shells that are often used as jewelry
especially in Japan.
Number Nine: The Gulf Porpoise Affectionately known as vaquita or “Little
Cow”, the Gulf porpoise makes this list because it is currently one of the rarest
animals in the world.
Scientists and wildlife conservationists estimate that the Gulf Porpoise population is fewer
than 100 since 2014.
The dangerously low number was the result of habitat loss, environmental pollution,
and being caught in fishing nets whether accidentally or not.
What’s even sadder is that the last remaining population of these porpoises live in the
Gulf of California - and despite conservation efforts, National Geographic estimates that
the last of them will likely disappear by 2018.
Number Eight: The Atlantic Goliath Grouper The 800-pound Atlantic Goliath Grouper’s
population decline is unique.
While habitat destruction and pollution are contributing factors to much marine wildlife
extinction, it is the Atlantic Goliath Grouper’s immense size that threatened it numbers.
To give you a perspective, this species of grouper can casually devour a shark and it
has a notable fearless personality.
Paired with its confidence, its inquisitive nature made it an easy catch for hunters and
fishermen in Florida during the 20th century.
After a shocking drop in its numbers, the US has since issued a moratorium on hunting
big fish such as the Atlantic Goliath Grouper but this particular species remains critically
endangered.
Number Seven: The Seychelles Sheath-Tailed Bat
Bats are extraordinary survivors and can adapt to any type of environment that they are in.
Even so, due to the continued destruction of its natural habitats like rainforests and
caves, the many species of bats are experiencing a steady decline in their population.
One such species is the Seychelles Sheath-Tailed bat.
Endemic to the Seychelles archipelago, specifically the islands of Silhouette, Mahe, Praslin,
and La Digue, this species of Sheath-tailed bats are losing their homes to a variety of
man-made reasons like deforestation.
Researchers believe that there are only two substantial roosts remaining and both are
located in Silhouette island.
Although their population are closely monitored by the Nature Protection Trust of Seychelles,
it is believed that they will likely be extinct in the next 10 years.
As it stands, there may only be 50 to 100 of these bats left on the planet.
Number Six: The Northern Bald Ibis Just because we may never have heard that
such an animal existed does not mean that it won’t make this list.
In fact, it makes the species even more in danger of extinction.
The Northern Bald Ibis was a species with a population that was spread across North
Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.
Today, however, 95% of their population is confined to a “subpopulation” in Morocco
where, even there, their numbers have dipped to the low hundreds.
It also does not help that most species of wild ibis, including the Northern Bald Ibis,
are more endemic to areas that are constantly ravaged by war and armed conflict.
In Syria, it is reported that the numbers of wild ibis has plummeted drastically in
the last 30 years.
Today, the best hope for survival of the Northern Bald Ibis is to be bred in captivity; an effort
being carried out in Italy, Austria, and Spain.
Number Five: The Iberian Lynx It once had a thriving population in Portugal,
Spain, and Southern France, the Iberian lynx is now the most endangered cat species on
the planet.
The destruction of their natural habitat, automobile collisions, poaching, and the decline
of rabbit population in their areas have unquestionably forced this feline species to the endangered
list as their numbers have shrunk to some 120 individuals scattered in small populations
in the Andalusian region.
As part of Spain’s conservation efforts, the government has decided to release rabbits
– the lynx’s main prey – into the wild to make sure that, at the very least, these
cats do not dwindle down due to starvation.
However, if the Iberian Lynx does go the way of the dinosaurs and the woolly Mammoth, it
will be the first species of feral cat to go extinct in the last 2000 years.
Number Four: The Chinese Alligator Rare enough as they are in the wild, the Chinese
Alligator is known for its size.
A full-grown adult grows only up to 2 meters and is no heavier than 40 kilograms.
Native to China, these reptiles find their dwelling in the wetlands near the Yangtze
River.
Much to the annoyance of local farmers, the Chinese Alligator is also known for burrowing
tunnels that can ruin crops and plants should they find themselves near a field.
Being the most endangered crocodilian species in the world due to poaching, pollution, and
habitat destruction, the Chinese government has made efforts of breeding them in captivity
but environmental due to the fact that only 150 to 200 of them live in the wild.
Number Three: The Sumatran Elephant Elephants are no stranger to being endangered
by humans.
In parts of Africa and the world, the ivory trade has either been halted or completely
banned due to the global outcry of international organizations and wildlife conservationists.
The Sumatran elephant is no exception to this.
While they are not necessarily hunted and killed for their tusks, they are still in
peril of extinction due to their rapid loss of habitat as more and more forest areas are
being converted to agricultural lands.
Although there are efforts made by the Indonesian government to conserve the elephant’s remaining
habitats, a study in 2007 revealed that – despite the efforts – there were less than 2800
Sumatran elephants remaining in the wild.
Number Two: The Sumatran Orangutan Extremely intelligent and gentle for its size,
the Sumatran Orangutan is a primate that is in danger of kicking the bucket as a species.
With no more than 7500 of them left in the entire world, their numbers continue to dip
as experts from the World Wildlife Fund place their declining rate at roughly 1000 per year,
a rather alarming number.
It will be no surprise that we will no longer see a single Sumatran orangutan within a decade.
Primarily, the reason for their rapid decline in numbers is human activity.
Deforestation, fires, pollution, and poaching are but a few reasons why the survival of
these gentle giants is on really thin ice.
Number One: The (African) Northern White Rhino Every passing day places the Northern White
Rhino at a high risk of extinction than, perhaps, any other animal on this list.
Due to poachers aggressively hunting them down nonstop, the world now only has three
northern white rhinos in existence.
You heard that right.
There are only three of these majestic beasts left.
Because of this, they are under constant armed guard 24-hours a day at Kenya’s Ol Pejeta
Conservancy.
The rhinos, two females and a male, were transferred to Kenya from a Czech zoo in 2009.
During this time, there was another male that died in 2014.
If you would trace the records of these rhinos and go as recently as 1960, you would discover
that more than 2000 of these northern white rhinos were in the wild.
However, due to the high demand of rhino horns in the Far East, their population was reduced
to the three that are now left.
The last remaining male, a 43 year-old rhino named Sudan, has had his horn removed in order
to spare him from poachers and make him less valuable as a market commodity.
Unfortunately, due to his age, Sudan, the last remaining male white rhino, weakens by
the day and efforts to encourage mating the three have proven to be unsuccessful.