Endangered species – what’s top of the list?

The actual number of endangered species is impossible to give for certain, but the ICUN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) suggests that the combined total for animal and plant species endangered worldwide is around 16,306 – and by the time you read this, that figure may already be out of date.

So what exactly does endangered mean? Basically, it’s a plant, animal or species that is under immediate threat of becoming extinct. Such as the dodo, or the mammoth, or the huge ivory-billed woodpecker that is thought to have recently disappeared off the face of the earth after being hunted for its beautiful feathers and having lost its natural habitat because of logging.

In the scientific world, an endangered species is categorized as any species ‘in danger of extinction through all or a significant portion of its range.’ A threatened species is any species ‘which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future.’ There are currently over 41,000 species on the threatened list.

Amongst those at the top of the list for the most endangered animals at the moment is our friend the ivory-billed woodpecker, if it hasn’t gone already, the Amur leopard of which there are only 40 left in Russia’s Far East and the Javan swamp-dwelling Rhinoceros, with a mere 60 still living in Asia. Then of course there’s the Giant Panda, but also the elephant, the orang-utan, the snow leopard and the sun bear. The list goes on – and on.

All this can create a sense of despondency, but there is positive news, and there are things we can do to help! At the moment there are over 3,500 protected areas around the world covering 5 million square kilometres – or roughly 3% of the total land mass. These include parks, wildlife refuges and reserves.

One such reserve that is dedicated to helping with animal rehabilitation and protecting endangered species with special emphasis on the breeding and maintenance of cheetahs in captivity is the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre in Limpopo Province in South Africa.  It may come as a surprise to find out that cheetahs are on the endangered list, but even the fastest cat in the world can’t outrun this one.

Worldwide Experience is proud to offer the opportunity for wildlife conservation volunteers to become part of the fight to save endangered species and to get to know the animals that need our help. There’s the chance for actual hands-on when you feed the cheetahs – by hand!

Volunteering to work with animals like the endangered cheetah will give you an experience that will remain with you for life. If you have the respect for animals that we do, and you have a desire to work with them, even if just for a short time, then wildlife conservation is a good place to start.

Rachel Hill

I have a great passion for wildlife & conservation, after an 8yr background of selling South Africa as a destination and Shamwari Game Reserve I have recently been lucky enough to get involved with Worldwide Experience and contribute towards making changes in people lives. The projects we offer are truly amazing and I hope together we can make a difference.

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