In date reverse order is a list of the mammals we have made extinct, these are in addition to the birds, reptiles, plants we have also eliminated. Extinct, never to be seen again, gone, erased.
How many more will be gone before we realise, the planet is not just for us?
2013
Formosan clouded leopard, previously endemic to the island of Taiwan, is officially declared extinct
The Japanese River Otter (Lutra lutra whiteneyi) has been declared extinct by the country’s Ministry of the Environment, after not being seen for more than 30 years.
2011
The Western Black Rhinoceros poached to destruction was declared extinct
The Eastern Cougar was declared extinct.
2006
A technologically sophisticated survey of the Yangtze River failed to find specimens of the Baiji Dolphin, prompting scientists to declare it functionally extinct
2000
"Celia," the last Pyrenean Ibex
dies under a fallen tree. The reasons for its extinction are still
being debated. However in 2009 it was cloned back into existence but
died 7 minutes later due to defects in the lungs, making it extinct once
again.
1970's
Circa 1979 - Last sightings of the Javan tiger.
Circa 1970 - The Caspian Tiger
becomes extinct. Nearly exterminated in the early 20th century the last
of its population succumbed to deforestation and hunting.
1960's
Circa 1967 - The last Mexican grizzly bear is shot
1950's
1952 - Last reliable report of the Caribbean Monk Seal.
1952 - The Bernard's wolf was hunted to extinction
1940's
1940 - The Cascade Mountain wolf was hunted to extinction
1941 - The British Columbia wolf was hunted to extinction
1942 - The Texas wolf was purposefully driven to extinction
1942 - The last confirmed sighting of the Barbary lion, although unconfirmed reports surfaced until 1970
1930's
1937 - The last known Bali tiger was shot.
1935 - The Southern Rocky Mountains wolf was hunted to extinction
1935 - The mogollon Mountain wolf was hunted to extinction.
1920's
1925 - The Kenai Peninsula wolf was driven to extinction
1911 - The last Newfoundland wolf was shot
1905 - The last known Honshū wolf of Japan dies in the Nara Prefecture
All the mammals above are gone forever. We have hunted, poisoned and skinned them out of existence. There are many also critically endangered which we are responsible for and I dare say many will also be joining those above if we don't change how we treat them.
Extinct in the wild
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Pere David Deer all known specimens are found only in captivity
Scimitar Oryx (extinct in the wild since 2000) The scimitar oryx was once widespread in northern Africa. Its decline
began as a result of climate change, and later it was hunted extensively
for its horns. Today, it is bred in captivity in special reserves in
Tunisia, Morocco and Senegal.
South China tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis) is a tiger subspecies that was native to the provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi in southern China, since 1996 as it is possibly extinct in the wild. There is a small chance that some individuals are still extant. But already in the late 1990s, continued survival was considered unlikely due to low prey density, widespread habitat degradation and fragmentation, and other human pressures.
No official or biologist has seen a wild South China tiger since the
early 1970s, when the last verified record is of an individual brought
into captivity. Only 72 remain.
Critically Endangered
The Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) is a leopard subspecies native to the Primorye region of southeastern Russia and Jilin Province of northeast China, and is classified as Critically Endangered since 1996 by IUCN. Only 14–20 adults and 5–6 cubs were counted in a census in 2007, with a total of 19–26 Amur leopards extant in the wild.
Cross River Gorilla - only 200-300 remain. The Gorilla pet trade, hunting and habitat loss has lead to its demise, we have pushed it to extinction in only 30 years.
Javan Rhino with only one known population in the wild, and no individuals in captivity. It is possibly the rarest large mammal on earth, with a population of as few as 40 in Ujung Kulon National Park at the western tip of Java in Indonesia. A second population in Cat Tien National Park in Vietnam was confirmed as extinct in 2011. The decline of the Sunda rhinoceros is attributed to poaching, primarily for their horns, which are highly valued in traditional Chinese medicine, fetching as much as US$30,000 per kilogramme on the black market, poaching, trophy hunting and war.
Mountain Gorilla There are two populations. One is found in the Virunga volcanic mountains of Central Africa, within three National Parks: Mgahinga, in south-west Uganda; Volcanoes, in north-west Rwanda; and Virunga in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The other is found in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. Some primatologists say that the Bwindi population
in Uganda may be a separate subspecies, though no description has been
finished. As of November 2012, the estimated total number of mountain
gorillas is 880. They have declined due to poaching, habitat loss and wars.
Saola, Vu Quang ox or Asian unicorn, also, infrequently, Vu Quang bovid (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis), is one of the world's rarest mammals, a forest-dwelling bovine found only in the Annamite Range of Vietnam and Laos. The WWF team found three skulls with unusual, long, straight horns kept in
hunters' houses. In their article, the team proposed "a three month
survey to observe the living animal", but more than 20 years later,
still no sighting of a saola in the wild had been reported by a
scientist. However, a living saola was photographed in the wild in
September 2013 by a camera trap set by the World Wide Fund for Nature
and the Vietnamese government’s Forest Protection Department. Van Ngoc
Thinh, the WWF's Vietnam country director, said, "This is a breathtaking
discovery and renews hope for the recovery of the species.
Sumatran Elephant - By 2008, elephants had become locally extinct in 23 of the 43 ranges
identified in Sumatra in 1985, indicating a very significant decline of
the Sumatran elephant population up to that time. By 2008, the elephant
was locally extinct in West Sumatra Province and at risk of being lost from North Sumatra Province too. In Riau Province only about 350 elephants survived across nine separate ranges. 65% of their deaths are caused by humans. 30% of those due to poisoning. Between 1985 and 2007, 50% of Sumatran elephants died.
Between 1980 and 2005, 69% of potential Sumatran elephant habitat was
lost within just one elephant generation, and the driving forces that
caused this habitat loss still remain essentially unchecked. There is
clear, direct evidence from two provinces, Riau and Lampung, which shows
entire elephant populations have disappeared as a result of habitat
loss. Most of the elephants found in Sumatran camps were captured after
crop-raiding in protected areas. The reduction of the elephants' habitat
for illegal conversion of agriculture still continues
Sumatran Rhino - Total numbers today may be as low as 200.The decline in the number of Sumatran rhinoceroses is attributed
primarily to poaching for their horns, which are highly valued in traditional Chinese medicine, fetching as much as US$30,000 per kg on the black market.
Sumatran Tiger - Major threats include habitat loss due to expansion of palm oil
plantations and planting of acacia plantations, prey-base depletion, and
illegal trade primarily for the domestic market. Despite being given full protection in Indonesia and internationally,
tiger parts are still found openly in trade in Sumatra. In 2006, surveys
were conducted over a seven month period in 28 cities in seven Sumatran
provinces and nine seaports. A total of 326 retail outlets were
surveyed, and 33 (10%) were found to have tiger parts for sale,
including skins, canines, bones and whiskers. Tiger bones demanded the
highest average price of US$ 116 per kg, followed by canines. There is
evidence that tiger parts are smuggled out of Indonesia. In July 2005,
over 140 kg of tiger bones and 24 skulls were confiscated in Taiwan in a shipment from Jakarta. Only around 300 remain.
The vaquita (Phocoena sinus) is a rare species of porpoise. It is endemic to the northern part of the Gulf of California. Estimates of the number of individuals alive range from 100 to 300. The word "vaquita" is Spanish for little cow.
Studies performed in El Golfo de Santa Clara, one of the three major ports in which vaquitas live, indicated that gillnet fishing causes approximately 39 vaquita deaths a year. This is close to 17% of the whole vaquita population within this port. While these results were not taken from the entire range of habitat in which vaquitas live, it is reasonable to assume that these results can be applied to the whole vaquita population, and in fact may even be a little low. Even with a gillnet ban throughout the vaquita refuge area, which contains 50% of the vaquita’s habitat, the population is still in decline, which suggests a complete ban of gillnet use may be the only solution to saving the vaquita population.
Studies performed in El Golfo de Santa Clara, one of the three major ports in which vaquitas live, indicated that gillnet fishing causes approximately 39 vaquita deaths a year. This is close to 17% of the whole vaquita population within this port. While these results were not taken from the entire range of habitat in which vaquitas live, it is reasonable to assume that these results can be applied to the whole vaquita population, and in fact may even be a little low. Even with a gillnet ban throughout the vaquita refuge area, which contains 50% of the vaquita’s habitat, the population is still in decline, which suggests a complete ban of gillnet use may be the only solution to saving the vaquita population.
Western Lowland Gorilla - Bush meat hunting along with timber harvesting in the Western Lowland
gorilla’s habitat has significantly impacted the probability of its
survival. The Western Lowland gorilla is considered to be critically
endangered by the IUCN. The Western Lowland gorillas, like many
gorillas, are essential to the composition of the rainforest due to its
seed distribution. The conservation of the Western Lowland gorilla has been made a
priority by many organizations. The Wildlife Conservation society (WCS)
has been working with the local community in the Congo Basin to
establish wildlife management programs. The WCS is also working in Congo
and surrounding countries to limit the bush meat trade by enforcing
laws and hunting restrictions and also helping the local people find new
sources of protein.
Yangtze Finless Porpoise -
Current conservation efforts were undertaken alongside those for the baiji. In 1990, five Yangtze porpoises were relocated to the Tian-e-Zhou Oxbow Nature Reserve, and now a population of 28 inhabits the lake. In 2006, after the baiji
was declared functionally extinct, hydrobiologist Wang Ding stated,
"The situation of the finless porpoise is just like that of the baiji 20
years ago. Their numbers are declining at an alarming rate."
In 2007, the population was less than half the 1997 level, and was
dropping at a rate of 7.3% per year. A 2012 survey indicated the rate of
decline had accelerated to 13.7% per year.The Poyang Lake population is threatened by sand dredging, particularly high-density dredging projects, which increase the muddiness of the water, reducing visibility. Frequent ship traffic also hinders hunting and movement from one bank to the other.
The animals above are down to low hundreds or less, they may be joining those at the top in the very near future.
Endangered
| African Wild Dog | 2000-3000 remain | Endangered |
| Amur Tiger | around 450 remain | Endangered |
| Asian Elephant | 20-25 thousand remain | Endangered |
| Bengal Tiger | fewer than 2500 remain | Endangered |
| Black Spider Monkey | ? remaining | Endangered |
| Black-footed Ferret | approx 1000 remaining | Endangered |
| Blue Whale | 10-25 thousand remaining | Endangered |
| Bluefin Tuna | ? remaining | Endangered |
| Bonobo | 10000-50000 remaining | Endangered |
| Bornean Orangutan | 45-69 thousand remaining | Endangered |
| Borneo Pygmy Elephant | 1500 remaining | Endangered |
| Chimpanzee | 172700 remaining | Endangered |
| Eastern Lowland Gorilla | approx 8000 remaining | Endangered |
| Fin Whale | 50-90 thousand remaining | Endangered |
| Galápagos Penguin | fewer than 2000 remain | Endangered |
| Ganges River Dolphin | 1200-1800 remaining | Endangered |
| Giant Panda | 1600 remain | Endangered |
| Green Turtle | ? remaining | Endangered |
| Hector's Dolphin | approx 7000 remaining | Endangered |
| Indian Elephant | 20-25 thousand remaining | Endangered |
| Indochinese Tiger | approx 350 remaining | Endangered |
| Indus River Dolphin | approx 1100 remaining | Endangered |
| Loggerhead Turtle | ? remaining | Endangered |
| Malayan Tiger | approx 500 remaining | Endangered |
| North Atlantic Right Whale | 300-350 remaining | Endangered |
| Orangutan | 41000 remaining | Endangered |
| Sea Lions | ? remaining | Endangered |
| Sei Whale | ? remaining | Endangered |
| Snow Leopard | 4080 remaining | Endangered |
| Sri Lankan Elephant | 2500-4000 remaining | Endangered |
| Tiger | 3200 remaining | Endangered |
These video's might be the only chance you ever get of seeing these creatures again.
Only 35 Amur Leopards remain, this beautiful cat wiped out by us.
You may never see a Javan Rhino again
Sumatran Tiger.
Vaquita
We need to protest those we are destroying. We were put here to share the world, not to dominate and destroy it. Do all you can, sign every petition, support every cause and cut off the markets of those who destroy them. We are their only hope.
those poor wolves :(
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