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Rare Animals (Part4)

1- African Wild Dog (Lycaon Pictus)



There are only 1409 of these fast hunters of the deserts and grasslands of Africa, threatened by extinction. As with the Malaysian tigers, clashes with cattle herders have largely decimated their populations, and endemic diseases such as rabies and distemper have also made an appearance. Their habitat is also crumbling rapidly; conservation efforts aim to connect wildlife corridors to game reserves.

 2- Black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes)



Finally some good news: This once-thought-extinct inhabitant of the Great Plains of the northern United States has been given "a second chance" thanks to multiple conservation efforts that have spanned decades (mostly among tribal groups). But since there are only about 300 of them, it's still a bit early to celebrate, especially since the only species of ferret native to North America, which is prone to sylvatic plague, is so rapidly losing its habitat.

3- Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus)



You could say that this fish is a victim of its excellence: bluefin tuna has been fished to the point where it was almost wiped out – the high demand for sushi in Asia being largely responsible for this decline. That's why it's one of the 8 fish you shouldn't eat anymore. The collapse of fish stocks has also had the effect of skyrocketing prices, leading to an increase in illegal fishing which has further aggravated the decline in stocks. Attempts to conserve what remains of these high-speed swimming predatory fish have therefore been difficult to carry out.

4- Gangetic dolphin or subouc (Platanista gangetica gangetica)



This blind freshwater dolphin native to India and the severely polluted river systems of Nepal is truly in survival mode, endangered by chemical spills, hunting and hunger. WWF monitors its populations, analyzes various threats and also works with local communities to introduce better conservation practices.

5- Borneo elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis)



Only 1,500 of these elephants remain, the smallest in Asia. Conservation organizations hope China's ivory ban will drastically reduce poaching of elephants in general, and this one in particular, although it will do nothing to reduce the threat of palm plantation expansion. oil in the region.

6-Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus)




It's one of the Blue Planet's most iconic animals, and it's quickly succumbing to warming oceans cluttered with plastic and other pollutants. Climate change is also affecting the populations of plankton it feeds on. Fortunately, the whale conservation community is very active and vocal, which means that efforts to save the 10,000 to 25,000 blue whales that still swim in our oceans are strong and ongoing.

 7-Hine's Emerald Dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana)



This iridescent green insect native to Illinois, Missouri, Michigan and Wisconsin is once again endangered. It was first believed to be extinct in the mid-1900s before it was rediscovered in 1988. Efforts are underway to preserve the wetlands, marshes and waterways essential to its survival. Some also suggest limiting the speed of cars to prevent them from killing dragonflies.

8- Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata)



Coral reefs around the world are threatened by ocean acidification and warming resulting from the climate crisis. Eighty percent of the colonies of this coral have disappeared in the past 30 years, and this animal is now classified as “critically endangered” on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) red list. Many initiatives persist around the world to limit the harvest, but the fight against the effects of climatic disasters will require enormous efforts that are sustained and coordinated on a global scale.

 

 

 

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