World Wildlife Conservation Day Aims to Protect Endangered Species

Since 2012, December 4 has been World Wildlife Conservation Day. Here are some facts about the species that are currently designated as Critically Endangered. World Wildlife Conservation Day came out of a pledge by the US State Department to protect wild animals by encouraging protections for species all over the world.

December 03, 2020

By: Discovery

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Western Lowland Gorilla

Native to Africa, this species lives in the most remote and dense rainforests, so the exact number is not known. The decline of this species is due to poaching and disease and will likely take almost a century to recover.

Hawksbill Turtle

This species mainly lives in tropical waters around coral reefs and are an essential part of maintaining those ecosystems.

Sumatran Elephant

With a global population of less than 3,000, this species is endangered due to threats to their habitat.

Yangtze Finless Porpoise

The Yangtze River was once home to two species of dolphins, the finless porpoise and the Baiji dolphin. The Baiji dolphin is fully exitinct, and less than 2,000 of the Yangtze Finless Porpoise remain.

The Sumatran Orangutan

There are only nine existing wild populations of Sumatran orangutan left on the entire island of Sumatra.

Eastern Lowland Gorilla

This sub-species of gorilla is endangered due to the civil unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which left these mammals exposed to poaching.

Amur Leopard

This rare subspecies of leopard is native to Asia and is also called the Korean leopard and the Far East leopard.

Black Rhino

In the 20th century, the black rhino population decreased by 98%. Though still critically endangered, this species is up to 5,600 today from a bleak 2,500 due to efforts to deter poaching.