Deforestation and expansion of land used for agriculture have seriously impacted upon bear habitats. Bears are hunted legally for recreation. They are also poached for their skins as rugs and trophies. Body parts from bears are used to supply the traditional Chinese medicine trade and exotic meat market.
Their fat, skin, paws, bones, claws, gall bladders and bile are used for traditional medicines, meals in expensive restaurants or as charms.
Deforestation is driving chimpanzees toward extinction. As forests are cleared for living space, growing crops and grazing for domestic livestock, the chimps who live there disappear. Forest concessions are sold to timber companies from the developed world, some of which practice clear cutting, turning forest habitats into desert.
As logging roads are cut into previously unreachable areas, the hunting of wildlife for bushmeat—once a practice supporting forest peoples—has become commercial, catering to the tastes of urban dwellers for the “exotic” meats of wild animals.
Dugongs are believed to have been the basis of mermaid legends. They have been hunted for thousands of years for their meat and oil. Today the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) limits, or bans, the trade of derived products. Despite being legally protected in many countries the main causes of population decrease include hunting, habitat degradation, and fishing-related fatalities. With its long lifespan of 70 years or more, and slow rate of reproduction, the dugong is especially vulnerable to these types of exploitation.
The Chiru is killed for its soft fleecy underwool known as shahtoosh, which is made into shawls. One of the most expensive materials in the world, worth its weight in gold several times over, shatoosh means “king of wools” in Persian.
Shahtoosh shawls can sell in the United States for up to $30,000. It takes the fur of three to five chiru to make one six-foot shawl.
A global ban on shahtoosh sales was introduced in 2002. Shahtoosh is still in high demand and smuggling operations meet that demand. In many countries shahtoosh shawls are sold by wealthy women who operate like drug dealers.
A bird with a crimson forehead and throat which is best known for its metronomic call that has been likened to a coppersmith striking metal with a hammer. It is a resident found in South Asia and parts of Southeast Asia. Like other barbets, they chisel out a hole inside a tree to build their nest. They are mainly fruit-eating but will sometimes take insects, especially winged termites.
African elephant numbers, between 1970 and 1989, fell from 1,200,000 to 600,000 as a result of the trade in ivory. Ivory is used for jewellery, carvings and hankos (name stamps carrying the personal seal of the owner). There are fewer than 50,000 Asian elephants left in the world
The tortoises of the Galápagos Islands were hunted for their meat by sailors and fishermen to the point of extinction. In addition their habitat was destroyed by the introduction of goats from the mainland. Lonesome George is the last known Pinta Island tortoise, an international icon for conservation efforts. George lives at the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galápagos Islands.
The Irrawaddy dolphins of Myanmar’s Ayerwaddy river have been helping fishermen with their catch for centuries. They and Asia’s river dolphins are some of the world’s most critically endangered species. In 2006, the Baji or Yangtze River dolphin was declared functionally extinct—the first Cetacean species to be driven to extinction, and in our century.
Ironically Hanif Kureshi’s celebration of the musical ladybirds is a poignant reminder of a could-be threatened species.
A new ladybird has recently arrived in Great Britain. But not just any ladybird: this is the harlequin ladybird, the most invasive ladybird on Earth.
The harlequin ladybird was introduced to North America in 1988, where it is now the most widespread ladybird species on the continent. It has already invaded much of north-western Europe, and arrived in Britain in summer 2004.
There are 46 species of ladybird resident in Britain and the recent arrival of the harlequin ladybird has the potential to jeopardise many of these.
The Leatherback turtle faces threats on both nesting beaches and in the marine environment. The greatest causes of decline and the continuing primary threats to leatherbacks worldwide are long-term harvest and incidental capture in commercial fisheries. The harvest of eggs and adults occurs on nesting beaches where juveniles and adults are harvested. Marine pollution (such as balloons and plastic bags floating in the water, which are mistaken for jellyfish) is an added threat. Together these threats are serious ongoing sources of mortality that adversely affect the species’ recovery.
The last sighting of a pink-headed duck was in 1949. This large diving duck, was once found in parts of the Gangetic Plains of India, Bangladesh and in the riverine swamps of Myanmar, could possibly be extinct.
This elusive bird is extremely hard to find as it is difficult to reach their natural habitat to see them. They are also shy timid birds. They could possibly exist in the inaccessible swamp regions of northern Myanmar and some sighting reports from that region have led to its status being declared as “critically endangered” rather than extinct.
The Sarus Crane is the only resident breeding crane in India and Southeast Asia, and is the world’s tallest flying bird. The future of the Indian Sarus Crane is closely tied to the quality of small wetlands in India that experience heavy human use. Destruction of wetlands due to agricultural expansion is increasing dramatically and poses a significant threat throughout the range of Sarus Cranes. In India, mortality due to collision with electrical wires is a significant threat and cranes have died due to pesticide poisoning.
The use of seahorses for traditional Chinese medicine takes the lives of about 20 million sea horses per year. Although seahorses are popular for their medicinal value and are claimed to be effective treatments, no research has been done to prove if they are. Seahorses are also popular souvenirs dried and attached to key rings. Never buy products made from seahorses.
Many countries still allow the commercial exploitation of sea turtles for food, oil, leather, and jewellery. Turtle skin can be turned into leather and is used for shoes and handbags, while its shell is used to make sunglasses, trinkets and jewellery. Sometimes the entire carcass is stuffed and sold as a souvenir or turned into novelty items such as musical instruments. Never buy products made from tortoiseshell.
The local people of Madagascar say that Silkies “fly like angels”, leaping as far as ten yards from tree to tree. A large lemur characterized by long, silky white fur. Living in a much restricted range in North Eastern Madagascar, the Silky Safaka is one of the rarest mammals on earth. Illegal logging of precious wood, such as rosewood and ebony which continues even within protected rainforests areas is a major threat to the survival of the remaining population which numbers less than 1000. Time is quickly running out for the Silky Safaka.
This endearing creature has become a victim of the pet trade. A popular pet in Japan, a slow loris will cost you between $1,500 and $4,500. These creatures are not suitable as pets and can endure great cruelty.
Despite a ban in domestic trade in the slow loris, trade is widespread and carried out in an open manner.
International trade in the slow loris is also banned by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
Several species of sturgeon are considered threatened with extinction as a result of over-fishing, poaching, water pollution, damming and destruction of natural watercourses and habitats.
Sturgeon fishing and trade in the products is a very profitable business. Compared to other fishery activities it is often viewed as “gold-mining”. Illegal harvest and trade in sturgeon products is a well managed and operated business, controlled by organised crime and associated with world-wide corruption. Over-fishing and poaching has led to a significant reduction in total legal catch in the world and especially in the main sturgeon basin—the Caspian Sea.
A striped marsupial the size of a dog, the last captive “thylacine” died in a Tasmanian zoo in 1936. The most recently found remains have been dated as being about 2,200 years old. The arrival of European settlers in Tanzania marked the end for the Tasmanian Tiger. Excessive hunting combined with habitat destruction are believed to have been the main cause for their extinction.
There have been hundreds of alleged sightings of Tasmanian Tigers since 1936 but all these sightings have remained inconclusive. Web sites are devoted to the search for the tiger but it is unlikely to still exist.
Tigers are being hunted into extinction for their skin, bone and penis. Tiger bone is used in traditional Asian medicine to treat ailments such as rheumatism, joint and back pain, paralysis and leprosy.
In Asia, the bones of a single poached tiger can fetch up to US$30,000. Tiger penis is believed to treat impotency and demands high prices as an “exotic” food, a bowl of tiger penis soup costing up to US$320 in Taiwan. The tiger’s skin is also highly coveted on the luxury market for rugs and other decoration.