| Endangered Wildlife: A Global Issue | | | | conservation success stories, however, with the |
| Across the globe, more and more animal species face | | | | populations of the southern white and northern Indian |
| extinction. From the rhinos and great apes in Africa, the | | | | rhinos now on the increase. |
| elephants in Asia, to the tigers in India, animals are | | | | The Great Apes Face Extinction |
| becoming increasingly endangered. Conservation | | | | Found in both Africa and Asia, the great apes once |
| organisers have now developed the concept of gap | | | | had a mighty population. Now, these majestic |
| years for adults where people volunteer to do animal | | | | creatures are under threat, and it will take concerted |
| conservation work and take some time out from their | | | | wildlife conservation efforts to save these gentle |
| jobs. Here are just 4 animals in need of a serious | | | | giants. |
| wildlife conservation strategy. | | | | In Africa, bonobos, eastern and western gorillas face |
| Where Have all the Tigers Gone? | | | | losing their habitat to humans. Human action is |
| It is estimated that there are only about 4000 tigers | | | | degrading and fragmenting their habitat, with civil wars |
| remaining in the wild worldwide, making them one of | | | | making it difficult for volunteers doing animal |
| the most threatened species. The habitat of the tiger | | | | conservation work to access the areas in need of |
| stretches across South East China, and from the | | | | protection. Poaching and disease is causing a serious |
| Russian Far East all the way to Sumatra in Indonesia. | | | | threat to the populations, and wildlife conservation |
| However, tigers can mostly only be found in tiny | | | | efforts need to be somehow increased. |
| isolated pockets. | | | | The orang-utan is the only ape found in Asia, with its |
| Despite wildlife conservation efforts, tiger population | | | | last remaining habitats being the Sumatran rainforests |
| numbers continue to decrease. Tigers are dying | | | | and the island of Borneo. These areas are diminishing |
| because they are being killed for use within the illegal | | | | rapidly, because of illegal logging, oil palm plantations |
| wildlife trade. They are being shot, poisoned and | | | | and forest fires caused by human activity. A great |
| trapped to sell on this market, and it will take the best | | | | way to give something back to nature and attempt to |
| efforts of those involved with animal conservation | | | | reverse human impact is to take a gap year for adults |
| work to counter this effect. | | | | and help save animals such as these. |
| The habitat of the tiger is also diminishing because of | | | | The Ivory Issue |
| the expanding human population. The poor local | | | | Elephants were once the giants of the African and |
| communities also need the land to sustain themselves, | | | | Asian continents, but now their numbers are dwindling, |
| and are depleting the vegetation and prey in the tigers' | | | | and in Asia and they face extinction. Wildlife |
| habitat. Wildlife conservation projects will therefore | | | | conservation projects can only do so much to help |
| need to carefully consider how to reduce the need of | | | | these creatures, as people continue to illegally poach |
| the local populations to depend on the environment in a | | | | elephants for their ivory, meat and hides. |
| destructive way. | | | | In Africa, elephants are primarily poached for their |
| Rhinos No Longer Roam in the Wild | | | | ivory, and poaching, alongside habitat loss, is placing |
| Almost no rhinos are still found surviving in the wild. But | | | | them under threat. Wildlife authorities do not have the |
| not so long ago, these creatures were roaming across | | | | capacity to implement adequate wildlife conservation |
| the entire African continent, and the Southern parts of | | | | projects on their own, and volunteers to do animal |
| Asia. There are five species of rhino in existence, two | | | | conservation work are in high demand. |
| of which are indigenous to Africa, and three to Asia. | | | | Elephants in Asia are nearing extinction, with the |
| Volunteers involved with animal conservation work are | | | | remaining elephant populations being small and |
| trying hard to preserve all of these species, some of | | | | fragmented. The biggest problem faced in Asia is the |
| which face imminent extinction. | | | | disruption and destruction of their migratory routes and |
| The northern white rhino is now on the critically | | | | habitat. Poachers also have their role to play, with |
| endangered list, and a subspecies of the black rhino is | | | | poaching for ivory, meat and hides being widespread. |
| now thought to be extinct. There are some wildlife | | | | |