Endangered Animals

There is still time!

Conservation Meter

• The conservation

meter can be found

on all animal exhibits

at the zoo.

• This meter shows

how well an animal

population is doing in

the wild.

Ways that species become

endangered or extinct

• Competition with other

species

• Disease

• Predation

• Habitat loss

• Unregulated or illegal killing

or collection

• Pesticides and pollution

Extinction

• Extinction is the disappearance brought about by natural or unnatural means of an entire species.

• Some species of plants and animals die out naturally because newer species are more successful at competing for food and living space. Others have become extinct due to changes in the planet or natural disasters.

Saber-toothed Tiger

• The Saber-toothed Tiger, a prehistoric cat, once

roamed the earth between California and Argentina.

• It became extinct at the end of the ice age.

Humans a problem?

• In today's world, however, species mostly

become extinct or are threatened with

extinction because of humans. Humans

hunt animals, destroy their habitats, and

introduce other animals that prey upon the

endangered animals or compete for their

resources. Among these factors, the

greatest threat to plants and animals is

habitat destruction.

Habitat Destruction

• Habitat loss takes several forms: – Outright loss of areas used by wild species.

– Degradation- for example from vegetation removal and erosion, which deprive native species of food, shelter, and breeding areas.

– Fragmentation- when native species are squeezed onto small patches of undisturbed land because they are surrounded by areas cleared for agriculture and other purposes.

Vegas Valley Leopard Frog

• The Vegas Valley leopard frog is extinct due to habitat loss resulting from spring capture and ground water pumping by the growing city of Las Vegas.

Threatened• Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants, fungi, insects, bugs, etc.) which are vulnerable to extinction in the near future.

• Threatened species can be grouped into three categories depending on the degree to which they are threatened

�critically endangered

�endangered

�vulnerable

Critically Endangered• Critically endangered is when a species is facing extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future.

Red wolves have many problems that threaten their future. The expansion of agriculture, logging and human settlement cleared the forest home of red wolves causing habitat destruction. Between 1900 - 1920 red wolves were hunted because they preyed on cattle this also led to their population decline.

Endangered• An endangered species is facing a high risk of extinction in the near future. It means that something is attacking its home, its food source, or directly attacking that species.

The black and white ruffled lemur, like most animals in Madagascar, are

endangered due to habitat destruction.

Vulnerable

• Matschie's tree kangaroos are a vulnerable species. They survive only in a small area on the island of Papua New Guinea. Their habitat destruction is being caused by logging, mineral, and oilexploration. Also, hunting by local people is decreasing the number of wild tree kangaroos.

A species is considered vulnerable when it is facing a high risk of total

destruction in the medium to long term future.

Low RiskA species is considered at low risk when it has a favorable number of species doing well in the wild.

• The Chilean flamingo is considered low risk however its natural

habitat is declining and it is a protected species.

• It is estimated that about 125 species of

birds and 60 species of mammals have

become extinct since 1600.

• Currently, there are approximately 1000-

1100 species of birds and mammals that

are threatened with extinction.

• If invertebrates and plants are included,

the total number of species in imminent

danger is around 20,000.

What are zoos doing about all this?

The American Zoological Association (AZA) developed a program called the Species Survival Plan (SSP).

This mission of the SSP is that each SSP zoo manages the breeding of a species in order to maintain a healthy and self-sustaining population that is both genetically diverse and demographically stable.

Species Survival Plan

• The SSP program is used to help ensure the survival of selected wildlife species.

• A species must satisfy a number of criteria to be selected for an SSP. For example: considering how far has the habitat destruction gone in their area and what is the government in that area doing about it.

• Most SSP species are threatened, endangered or critically endangered in the wild.

How do they do this?Match.com?

Well kind of… The SSP matches up suitable mates

from zoos around the country. The zoos will

have the pairs meet at a hosting zoo for breeding.

Their offspring, when old enough, will either stay

at a zoo to continue breeding or be rereleased in

the wild in an effort to help sustain the species’

wild population.