WWF Endangered Animals

About WWF

World Wildlife Federation (WWF), established in 1961, is a worldwide animal conservation organization. It was established with a mission to spread awareness among people and prevent the rapidly declining numbers of endangered animals. WWF has a base in one-hundred countries, and about five million members across the world.

Since the inception of WWF, endangered animals Panda is its logo, and the most recognized face of animal conservation. The nine main endangered animals marked by WWF are Giant Pandas, Tigers, Polar Bears, Rhinos, Elephants, Great Apes, Marine Turtles, and endangered Whales and Dolphins. Here, we will discus about some WWF endangered animals:

Giant Pandas

Giant Pandas are found in the Gansu, Shaanxi, and Sichuan provinces of China. Bamboo is their chief diet. Clearing of forests on large-scale for farming and other development works have destroyed the habitat of Pandas. In addition to it, Pandas are widely hunted for their skin, which fetches the large amount of money in the black market. Endangered animals Panda are the most adored and protected rare animals.

Bengal Tiger

The endangered animals Bengal tiger are found in the eastern province of West Bengal in India and the sunderbans in Bangladesh. This mighty animal once ruled the Indian sub-continent. But, today, their number is less than 2,500. They are endangered due to their habitat loss and extensive poaching for their body parts. The bones of tiger are used in traditional medicines, which have a premium price in the international market. The tigers are even hunted for their skin.

Polar Bears

Polar Bears are found in the arctic region. Their numbers have suddenly come down from several hundred thousands to a few hundreds only. The main reason for their declining numbers is excessive hunting for their hides, tendons, and flesh. Moreover, oil extraction from the Arctic Ocean has spread pollution and toxic wastes in the ocean waters, which has made animals endangered. According to an estimate, only 20,000 to 25,000 Polar Bears are alive today.

Elephants

Both Asian and African elephants are endangered animals today. They are mostly hunted for their ivory tusks. Poaching and habitat loss have made them endangered. There are less than 20,000 Asian elephants left in the wild, and an almost equal number of African elephants are believed to roam around the African jungles.

Rhinoceros

Great Indian One-horned Rhinoceros are extensively hunted for their horns. The horns of Rhinoceros are believed to possess aphrodisiac properties. Their numbers have reduced to 1,500, and are mainly confined to the national parks.

In the same way, other endangered animals marked by WWF are threatened for their survival. Other than habitat loss and poaching, climate change has emerged as a potential threat to the endangered animals. Global warming due to excessive presence of carbon di-oxide in the air has resulted in the relocation of endangered animals. The relocation has added to the difficulty of accommodation, and made animals endangered.

With an aim to make a pledge to the world to safeguard the variety of life on earth, the year 2010 was declared as the International Year of Biodiversity by the United Nations.