ENDANGERED SPECIES

AMUR LEOPARD
STATUS: Critically Endangered
POPULATION: More than 84
individuals
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Panthera
pardus orientalis
WEIGHT: 70 -105 pounds
HABITATS: Temperate, Broadleaf,
Forest Habitat, Mountains, and
Mixed Forests
Amur leopard can run at speeds
of up to 37 miles per hour. This
incredible animal has been
reported to leap more than 19
feet horizontally and up to 10
feet vertically.

IMPORTANT ROLE
The Amur leopard is important ecologically,
economically, and culturally. Conservation of its
habitat benefits other species, including Amur
tigers and prey species like deer. With the right
conservation efforts, we can bring them back
and ensure long-term conservation of the
region.

Threats There are still large tracts of suitable habitat left across the Amur in
Russia and China. In China the prey base is insufficient to sustain
large populations of leopards and tigers. Prey populations will
recover if measures are taken to limit the poaching of prey species
and the forests are managed for logging more sustainably. For the
Amur leopard to survive for the long term, it needs to repopulate its
former range. But for that to happen, prey populations need to
recover first.
Prey Scarcity
The Amur leopard is poached largely for its beautiful, spotted fur. In
1999, an undercover investigation team recovered a female and a male
Amur leopard skin, which were being sold for $500 and $1,000
respectively in the village of Barabash, not far from the Kedrovaya Pad
reserve in Russia. Agriculture and villages surround the forests where
the leopards live. As a result the forests are relatively accessible,
making poaching a problem—not only for the leopards themselves, but
also for important prey species, such as, sika deer and hare, which are
hunted by the villagers both for food and cash.
Illegal Wildlife Trade

SAOLA
STATUS: Critically Endangered
POPULATION: Unknown
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Pseudoryx
nghetinhensis
WEIGHT: 176-220 pounds
HABITATS: Evergreen forests with
little or no dry season
Saola (pronounced: sow-la) are
recognized by two parallel
horns with sharp ends, which
can reach 20 inches in length
and are found on both males
and females. Meaning “spindle
horns” in Vietnamese, they are
a cousin of cattle but resemble
an antelope.
Saola have striking white
markings on the face and large
maxillary glands on the muzzle,
which could be used to mark
territory or attract mates. They
are found only in the Annamite
Mountains of Vietnam and Laos.

IMPORTANT ROLE
The actual size of the remaining population is
unknown. Its rarity, distinctiveness and
vulnerability make it one of the greatest
priorities for conservation in the region. The
current population is thought to be a few
hundred at a maximum and possibly only a few
dozen at a minimum.

Threats Saola are often caught in snares set in the forest for wild boar,
sambar or muntjac deer. Local villagers set some snares for
subsistence use and crop protection. Recent increases in lowland
people hunting to supply the illegal trade in wildlife has led to a
massive increase in hunting, driven by traditional medicine demand
in China and restaurant and food markets in Vietnam and Laos.
Hunting
As forests disappear under the chainsaw to make way for agriculture,
plantations and infrastructure, saola are being squeezed into smaller
spaces. The added pressure from rapid and large-scale infrastructure in
the region is also fragmenting saola habitat. Conservationists are
concerned that this is allowing hunters easy access to the once
untouched forest of the saola and may reduce genetic diversity in the
future.
Habitat Loss

STATUS: Critically Endangered
POPULATION: 1000-1800
SCIENTIFIC NAME:
Neophocaena asiaeorientalis
asiaeorientalis
LENGTH: 6.2 feet
HABITATS: Lakes, River, And
Freshwaters
The Yangtze River, the longest
river in Asia, used to be one of
the only two rivers in the world
that was home to two different
species of dolphin—the Yangtze
finless porpoise and the Baiji
dolphin.
YANGTZE FINLESS
PORPOISE

IMPORTANT ROLE
Porpoises play an important role in keeping
environment healthy. They eat fist and other
river creatures, which would otherwise increase
in number and unbalance the local chain.
Porpoises are a good indicator of the health of
their environment - if the river is overfished or
polluted, the porpoises struggle to survive.

Threats
Finless porpoises need an abundant food supply for
survival. The destruction of the Baiji dolphin food supply
was central to its extinction. Overfishing is the main factor
that contributes to the decrease in finless porpoises’ food
supply, but pollution and ship movement are factors as
well.
Overfishing

MOUNTAIN GORILLA
STATUS: Endangered
POPULATION: More than
1,000
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Gorilla
beringei beringei
WEIGHT: up to 440 pounds
HABITATS: Forest Habitat and
Mountains
As their name implies,
mountain gorillas live in
forests high in the mountains,
at elevations of 8,000 to
13,000 feet. They have thicker
fur, and more of it, compared
to other great apes. The fur
helps them to survive in a
habitat where temperatures
often drop below freezing.
But as humans have moved
more and more into the
gorillas’ territory, the gorillas
have been pushed farther up
into the mountains for longer
periods, forcing them to
endure dangerous and
sometimes deadly conditions.

IMPORTANT ROLE
Without these large-scale grazers eating lots of
vegetation, the natural balance in the food chain
would be disrupted. This could negatively affect
other other wildlife in the area, and ultimately the
people who depend on that environment for food,
water and other resources.
Ecotourism - socially and environmentally
responsible tourist visits, including carefully guided
trips to see gorillas - can also be an important way
for local people to gain benefit from living in close
proximity to gorillas.

Threats The war in Rwanda in the early 1990s and years of civil unrest in
the Democratic Republic of Congo have sent waves of refugees into
the region around the Virunga Mountains parks that are home to
more than half the mountain gorilla population, leading to poaching
and destruction of gorilla habitat. And parts of the park inhabited by
gorillas have been taken over by rebels, making survey and
conservation work difficult and dangerous. Since 1996, 140 Virunga
rangers have been killed in the line of duty.
War
Gorillas that come into contact with humans can be vulnerable to
human diseases, which gorillas experience in more severe forms.
Mountain gorillas can even die from the common cold. However,
studies have found that mountain gorillas that are regularly habituated
with researchers and tourists have survived better than unvisited
gorillas; they benefit from the greater protection available in those areas
and from regular monitoring. Increased survival is also largely due to
better veterinary care of sick and injured gorillas.
Disease

Threats
Inside gorilla habitat in Virunga National Park, people harvest
charcoal for use as a fuel source in cooking and heating. This
charcoal production—an illegal, multi-million dollar industry—has
destroyed gorilla habitat.
Charcoal Making
As humans have moved into areas near mountain gorillas, they have
cleared land for agriculture and livestock. Even land within protected
areas is not safe from clearing—in 2004, for example, illegal settlers
cleared 3,700 acres of gorilla forest in Virunga National Park.
Habitat Loss
There is little to no direct targeting of mountain gorillas for bushmeat
or pet trade, but they can be caught and harmed by snares set for
other animals.
Poaching

SNOW
LEOPARD
STATUS: Vulnerable
POPULATION: total estimated
4,080-6,590
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Panthera
uncia
LENGTH: 2-5 ft.
HABITATS: Cold High Mountains
The snow leopard’s powerful
build allows it to scale great
steep slopes with ease. Its hind
legs give the snow leopard the
ability to leap six times the
length of its body. A long tail
provides balance and agility and
also wraps around the resting
snow leopard as protection
from the cold.

IMPORTANT ROLE
Snow leopards play a key role as both top
predator and as an indicator of the health of
their high-altitude habitat. If snow leopards
thrive, so will countless other species.

Threats
Climate change poses perhaps the greatest long-term threat to
snow leopards. Impacts from climate change could result in a loss
of up to 30 percent of the snow leopard habitat in the Himalayas
alone.
Climate Change
The snow leopard habitat range continues to decline from human
settlement and increased use of grazing space. This development
increasingly fragments the historic range of the species.
Habitat Fragmentation
Snow leopards are often killed by local farmers because they prey
on livestock such as sheep, goats, horses, and yak calves. The
animals which snow leopards would typically hunt—such as the
Argali sheep—are also hunted by local communities. As their
natural prey becomes harder to find, snow leopards are forced to kill
livestock for survival.
Retaliatory Killings

SUNDRA TIGER
STATUS: Critically Endangered
POPULATION: less than 400
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Panthera
tigris sondaica
WEIGHT: 165-308 pounds
HABITATS: Tropical broadleaf
evergreen forests, freshwater
swamp forests and peat swamps
Sunda tigers are distinguished
by heavy black stripes on their
orange coats. The last of the
Sunda island tigers—estimated
to be fewer than 400 today—are
holding on for survival in the
remaining patches of forest on
the island of Sumatra

IMPORTANT ROLE
The island of Sumatra is the only place where
tigers, rhinos, orangutans, and elephants live
together in the wild. The presence of the Sunda
tiger is an important indicator of a forest's
health and biodiversity. Protecting tigers and
their habitat means many other species
benefit—including people.

Threats
Habitat for the Sumatran tiger has been drastically reduced by
clearing for agriculture (particularly oil palm), plantations, and
settlement. On many parts of the island, illegal timber harvesting,
and forest conversion are out of control. Between 1985 and 2014,
the island’s forest cover plunged from 58% to 26%. Even protected
areas face problems. In addition, forest conversion has isolated
national parks from one another, along with populations of species
like tigers that need large areas for breeding, feeding, and
dispersing.
Habitat Loss
Most tigers in Sumatra are killed deliberately for commercial gain.
According to a survey from TRAFFIC, the global wildlife trade
monitoring network, poaching for trade is responsible for almost
80% of estimated Sumatran tiger deaths—amounting to at least 40
animals per year.
Illegal Wildlife Trade

RED
PANDA
STATUS: Endangered
POPULATION: less than
10,000 individuals
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Ailurus
Fulgens
LENGTH: 2 feet
HABITATS: Temperate Forest
Habitat
The red panda is slightly larger
than a domestic cat with a
bear-like body and thick russet
fur. The belly and limbs are
black, and there are white
markings on the side of the
head and above its small eyes.
Red pandas are very skillful and
acrobatic animals that
predominantly stay in trees.
Almost 50% of the red panda’s
habitat is in the Eastern
Himalayas. They use their long,
bushy tails for balance and to
cover themselves in winter,
presumably for warmth. Primarily
an herbivore, the name panda is
said to come from the Nepali
word ‘ponya,’ which means
bamboo or plant eating animal.

IMPORTANT ROLE
Almost 50% of the red panda’s habitat is in the
Eastern Himalayas. The loss of nesting trees
and bamboo is causing a decline in red panda
populations across much of their range because
their forest home is being cleared.

Threats
Red pandas are often killed when they get caught in traps meant
for other animals such as wild pigs and deer. They are also
poached for their distinctive pelts in China and Myanmar. Red
panda fur caps or hats have been found for sale in Bhutan.
Hunting

MARINE
IGUANA
STATUS: Vulnerable
POPULATION: Unknown
SCIENTIFIC NAME:
Amblyrhynchus cristatus
WEIGHT: 1 to 3.3 pounds
HABITATS: Oceans, Rocky
shores, and Beaches
One of the main nesting zones
for iguanas is located on a
central tourist beach in the
waterfront area of Puerto
Villamil on Isabela Island. For
several years, the Galápagos
National Park protected only the
central part of the nesting zone.

IMPORTANT ROLE
It is necessaryto protect their island refuges
from feral pests and human exploitation
because they are long lived animals that can
not sustain added mortality.

Threats
Introduced species such as cats, rats, dogs and pigs prey on
marine iguanas. They are also threatened by the impacts of climate
change. Sea level and air temperature rise can affect their beach
nesting habitat and the iguanas’ ability to regulate its body
temperature while on land, as well as interfere with egg
development.
Climate Change

LOGGERHEAD
TURTLE
STATUS: Vulnerable
POPULATION: estimated
40,000
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Caretta
Caretta
WEIGHT: 175-400 pounds
HABITATS: Oceans
Loggerhead turtles are named
for their large heads that
support powerful jaw muscles,
allowing them to crush hard-
shelled prey like clams and sea
urchins. They are less likely to
be hunted for their meat or
shell compared to other sea
turtles.

IMPORTANT ROLE
The way loggerhead turtles feed on their hard-
shelled prey recycles important nutrients and
keeps ocean floor sediments in balance.
Loggerhead turtles carry colonies of small plants
and animals on their shells which serve as
important habitat themselves. As many as 100
species of animals and plants have been recorded
living on one single loggerhead turtle.

Threats
Worldwide, hundreds of thousands of sea turtles a year are
accidentally caught in shrimp trawl nets, on longline hooks and in
fishing gillnets—a threat known as bycatch. Sea turtles need to
reach the surface to breathe, and therefore many drown once
caught. Loggerheads are highly migratory and are very likely to
come in contact with a fishery, particularly in shrimp gillnets and
longlines.
Bycatch

AFRICAN WILD
DOG
STATUS: Endangered
POPULATION: 1,409
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Lycaon
Pictus
WEIGHT: 40-70 pounds
HABITATS: Deserts,
Forests, and Grasslands
The wild dog is one of the
world’s most endangered
mammals. The largest
populations remain in southern
Africa and the southern part of
East Africa (especially Tanzania
and northern Mozambique).
Wild dogs are social and gather
in packs of around ten
individuals, but some packs
number more than 40. They are
opportunistic predators that
hunt medium-sized ruminants,
such as gazelles. In a sprint,
African wild dogs can reach
speeds of more than 44 miles
per hour.

IMPORTANT ROLE
They hunt for a wide variety of prey, including
gazelles and other antelopes, warthogs, wildebeest
calves, rats, and birds. Like most predators, they
play an important role in eliminating sick and
weak animals, thereby helping maintain the
natural balance and improve prey species.

Threats
Major threats to the survival of wild dogs include accidental and
targeted killings by humans, viral diseases like rabies and
distemper, habitat loss and competition with larger predators like
lions. Conflicts occur when wild dogs come in contact with people
whose livelihoods rest largely on livestock and agriculture.
Problems arise when expanding human activities decrease the
habitat for available prey for wild dogs.
Hunting

THANK
YOU