10 Animals That Are On The Verge of Extinction

Photo: www.worldwildlife.org

Animals are beautiful and majestic creatures. Unfortunately, the more stunning they are, the more poachers will want to have their lives taken and their dignities stripped by selling off their parts. Whether it is the coveted ivory in a rhino’s tusks or the beautiful fur of a leopard, none of these animals are ever safe.

As time goes by, more strict laws are in place to save these animals from being harmed. Still, it does not curb extinction entirely. The inhumane process of poaching of and making money off a life is horrific, and more and more species of animals are on the verge of extinction. Here are 10 animals that are about to disappear from the face of this earth.

#1 AMUR LEOPARD

The Amur Leopard has been deemed critically endangered for the past 20 years and still, illegal hunters and poachers are still trying to make money off these breath-taking creatures, native to the Primorye region of southeastern Russia and the Jilin Province of northeast China. With conservation, we can only hope to ensure the continuity of ‘the world’s rarest cat’.

Photo: en.wikipedia.org

#2 BLACK RHINO

All the animals listed here have been labelled ‘critically endangered’ by the World Wildlife Fund because they are fast depleting. Rhinos are one of the most endangered species because of their black market value. Disgusting poachers sometimes kill these innocent creatures just for ‘fun and sport’.

Photo: en.wikipedia.org

#3 CROSS RIVER GORILLA

Only a mere 200 to 300 of these creatures are left of this earth, making them quickly susceptible to be completely cleared out. Loss of an entire species can have a huge impact on the forests and the environment.

Photo: www.worldwildlife.org

#4 HAWKSBILL TURTLE

Poachers kill these turtles for their shell and sell them for large profits. Because of this, hawksbill turtles are on the verge of extinction. According to the WWF, ‘They are a fundamental link in marine ecosystems and help maintain the health of coral reefs and sea grass beds.”

Photo: en.wikipedia.org

#5 JAVAN RHINO

Javan Rhino is probably the most endangered species of all with barely 60 of them still standing in their native land of Java in Indonesia. The last rhino poached outside of the country was in 2010 in Vietnam. From then on, much effort has been made in ensuring that these animals are safe at the Ujung Kulon National Park.

Photo: en.wikipedia.org

#6 LEATHERBACK TURTLE

Leatherback turtles are known for their leather-like shell. Although their species is spread out over a large area, they are still critically endangered as people hunt for their eggs and more.

Photo: www.worldwildlife.org

#7 MOUNTAIN GORILLA

Less than a thousand of these gorillas are still standing in the wild. Over the years, the number has been slowly declining due to habitat loss and poaching. Thankfully, conservation efforts have increased population numbers slightly, but it is still a long way to go.

Photo: www.awf.org

#8 PANGOLIN

Pangolins are cute little creatures will armour-like scales of which they are known for. There are a total of 8 species in the world but numbers are slowly decreasing. Every species of pangolins is protected by laws to prevent illegal poachers and hunters from killing them for profit.

Photo: www.worldwildlife.org

#9 SAOLA

The Saola is so obscure that they have been dubbed a ‘unicorn’ by people as none exists in captivity, with only a few spotted over the years. They are found in mainly Vietnam of which they are native to.

Photo: www.worldwildlife.org

#10 SOUTH CHINA TIGER

Zero South China Tigers can be found in the wild and scientists have confirmed them to be ‘functionally extinct’ as you can now only find them in captivity in zoos.