3 Of The Most Endangered Species On Our Planet
Since the first industrial revolution in 1760, mankind has been polluting the only planet we have. We are one of many species that share this Earth and many other fauna and flora have been paying the consequence for our actions.
Here we are going to take a look at some creatures that once used to thrive but now are on the verge of never being seen again.
1. The Orangutan
An Orangutan is a great ape that can live for up to 45 years old. This incredible species could be found all over South East Asia and China but now can be found only in a select few areas in the wild. They make their nests up in the trees and have an omnivorous diet but mostly eat fruits like lychees. There are three known species of orangutan with the Tapanuli Orangutans being the most endangered with an estimated 800 in existence. This is followed by the Sumatran Orangutan which is a critically endangered species with around 7,500 of these apes in existence. The Bornean Orangutan is the final one with a population over 100,000. This is a massive reduction from only 1 century ago when there was over 230,000 orangutans roaming our planet!
2. The Cross River Gorilla
The cross river gorilla was officially recognised as its own species in 1904. This creature lives in the forest and is constantly losing land due to deforestation. There are at least 11 different groups/tribes of these creatures with a total territory of around 3000 square miles in the countries of Nigeria and Cameroon. Currently there is a population of around 300 to 400 of these beautiful creatures worldwide making them a critically endangered species!
3. The Amur Leopard
Finally the Amur Leopard is a majestic creature native to southeast Russia and the north of China. They can run at speeds up to 35 miles an hour and they are poached for their beautiful spotted fur. This is the most endangered creature on this list and there are currently less than 100 Amur Leopards left alive. In 2007 it was estimated that their population dropped to less than 25!
We can see with these examples that we are having devastating impacts on our world which is affecting other life forms who share this one planet. The only planet known to hold life at this point in time. People are trying to reduce their negative impact on the environment but for some of these animals it may be too little to late. It is our duty as a species to protect mother nature as she has granted us the gift of life. We can’t just try to minimise our negative impacts on the world. We have to be proactive. We have to make a positive change.