What comes first to your mind when you hear the word “endangered”? Well, the literal definition of this word is “in danger of completely disappearing”. In other words, this means threatened species on the list are at the risk of getting wiped off from the face of the Earth. However, despite the many measures taken around the world to protect these animals, the number of endangered species continues to rise. Every year, on the third Friday of May, Endangered Species Day is observed around the world to spread awareness about the importance of species under severe threat, and how we can all take a step to make a difference.
Endangered species are on the verge of becoming extinct due to factors such as habitat fragmentation, illegal trading, decrease in population and human-wildlife conflict. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a global authority on the natural world, and lays down significant foundations and measures that can be taken to protect animals. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species reveals the current risk status of different animals found across our planet.
This year for Endangered Species Day, we explore five ’Endangered’ species listed under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species that Wildlife SOS has rescued from danger!
1. The Royal Bengal Tiger!
Being one of the “big five” cats found in India, the Bengal tiger is listed by IUCN as an ‘Endangered’ species. There are currently only around 4,500 wild tigers left in Asia, out of which around 3,682 Bengal tigers can be found in India (as per the quadrennial census taken in 2022). After its numbers reached a low of 1,706 in 2010, measures and laws taken by the Indian government have resulted in humongous efforts towards the protection of these animals. However, the numbers still are a long way from qualifying the species as safe or unthreatened. Factors including human-wildlife conflict, habitat loss, illegal trading and poaching are proving detrimental to the focussed efforts towards tiger conservation.
Gopal is a tiger that was caught in a situation of human-wildlife conflict in Karnataka. Wildlife SOS, along with the Born Free Foundation, rescued him, and provided him with a safe refuge at the Bannerghatta Tiger Sanctuary. Wildlife SOS is also closely involved in conducting anti-poaching missions and raids to catch those performing illicit trade of tiger skin and body parts in the act.
2. Himalayan Brown Bear!
Wildlife SOS works towards protecting three out of the four bear species found in India — Sloth bears, Asiatic black bears and Himalayan brown bears. The latter is a subspecies of brown bears, and is currently listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ by IUCN. Himalayan brown bears are often hunted for their thick fur and claws as ornaments, and many of the internal organs are used for medicinal purposes. Along with this, human-bear conflicts in J&K were becoming recurrent, leading to distress among the animals as well as people. Sensitive to the rising number of such cases, Wildlife SOS laid the foundations of two rescue centres in Jammu and Kashmir — the Dachigam Rescue Centre and the Pahalgam Rescue Centre —two rescued Himalayan brown bears have been rehabilitated. By studying bear behaviour and spreading awareness about them, our team is committed to mitigate unfortunate encounters between humans and ursines.
3. The Asian Elephant!
The Asian elephant is the largest land mammal on the Asian continent and yet, is listed as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. These majestic mammals are heavily poached for their tusks, are being used as begging elephants, and are forced to perform unusual tricks as circus elephants. And this is not all. Elephants are decorated with toxic paints for wedding and temple processions, and are widely employed to give rides to tourists in different parts of the country.
Due to rising urbanisation, many forests, open fields and passages walked by these animals have turned into concrete jungles, leading to habitat loss and environmental degradation. This has resulted in herds frequenting lands that are now occupied by people, inadvertently causing human-wildlife conflicts. Wildlife SOS works closely with these gentle giants in order to not only rescue them from such situations, but also to spread awareness about the consequences of wildlife ignorance.
In order to help pachyderms saved from such situations, Wildlife SOS started the Elephant Conservation and Care Centre (ECCC) and the Elephant Rehabilitation Centre (ERC) in Uttar Pradesh. Wildlife SOS also opened the Elephant Hospital Campus (EHC), India’s first elephant hospital in Mathura in 2018. These centres are home to around 37 Asian elephants that have suffered brutality and a life of torture. At the elephant hospital, our teams of expert veterinary staff and caregivers attend to the elephants in need. Treatments using state-of-the-art tools range from laser therapy, to the careful supervision and healing of foot pads and abscesses. Wildlife SOS is currently also giving needed attention to an elephant calf, Bani, who was rescued after she was hit violently by a speeding train in Uttarakhand.
4. The Indian Pangolin!
The Indian pangolin, also called the scaly anteater, is native to the Indian subcontinent and is one of the most heavily trafficked animals in the world. One of the main reasons for the decrease in the pangolin population is due to poaching for their meat and scales. Their body parts are being illegally exported from India to China for use in traditional medicine.
With the aim of reducing such cases, Wildlife SOS is raising awareness about pangolins through various awareness sessions and social media campaigns. Along with this, our round-the-clock Rapid Response Unit works hard every day to provide care to the animals in need of help. In 2020, our Rapid Response Unit rescued a pangolin from Uttar Pradesh along with the state forest department after a group of villagers saw it in an open field. After keeping the animal under medical observation for a few days, it was released back into its natural habitat!
5. Hangul, The Kashmir Stag!
Famously known as the state animal of Kashmir, the Kashmir stag or hangul, is an ungulate subspecies. It is native to Kashmir Valley, India, making it endemic to India. Despite sharing their space with predators like leopards and brown bears, the major threat to hanguls actually lies in habitat fragmentation and deforestation. From close to 5,000 in the early 1900s, the hangul population began to dangerously plummet in the valley, prompting Wildlife SOS to conduct a census of this species.
Tracking the number of wild animals in a particular area is an important step towards their conservation. This information also helps to spread awareness about the species among people surrounding their habitat. Our team, led by Wildlife SOS Programme Head Ms. Aaliya Mir, made sure that the census was derived in an appropriate and cautious way. The hangul population is dismal and barely manages to reach a total of 300, a number close to extinction, making them a member of IUCN’s ’Critically Endangered’ list.
Wildlife SOS aims to highlight species that require awareness for their protection. To read more on animals that coexist with us, subscribe to our newsletter.