It is reported that there are more than one million known animal species. However, a large number of animals are endangered every year, many of which are caused by human activities.

Here are ten of the most miserable animals: Sumatran Rhinocerous, Vaquita, Bluefin Tuna, Emberiza Aureola, Manatee, Gharial, Asian Elephant, Monk Seal, Black Rhinoceros and Finback. These animals just want to survive in the world, but they are slowly going extinct because of human greed.

Sumatran Rhinocerous

Sumatran Rhinocerous is a subspecies of white rhinoceros that once had a wild population of about 2,000 in the 1960s. However, rampant poaching caused their numbers to plummet to as few as 15 individuals between the 1970s and 1980s. As of November 2015, only three Sumatran Rhinocerous survived on the planet. Unfortunately, on March 19, 2018, the world’s last male Sumatran Rhinocerous died in Kenya at the age of 45. This tragedy essentially declared the extinction of the species.

Vaquita

Known as the “Panda of the Sea”, Vaquita is one of the world’s most endangered cetaceans and has been listed as critically endangered since 1996. As of March 2018, there are only 12 surviving vaquitas in the world. This tragic situation is caused by human overfishing. California Gulf totoaba is a highly profitable animal, and neighbor with vaquita. However, in order to pursue economic interests, Mexican and American fishing vessels use gillnets to catch totoaba regardless of vaquitas living environment, resulting in a large number of vaquitas dying every year. This is a very distressing situation.

Bluefin Tuna

Bluefin tuna is a popular and valuable fish, but human overfishing has caused the species to face extinction. Currently, all three bluefin tuna species in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans are endangered. In 1989, the number of Atlantic bluefin tuna was only 20% of what it was in 1970, and now it is only 10% of its original number. Bluefin tuna is listed as critically endangered in the wild, the highest level of endangered. Fishermen from America, Canada and Australia do overhunts to meet their clients tastes. Therefore, the conservation of this species is paramount importance.

Emberiza Aureola

Emberiza Aureola, also called as the rice bird, is a petite bird. Be known to human diners as the “Ginseng from Heaven”. Emberiza Aureola was once a small migratory bird that was widely distributed and abundant. However, from 1980 to 2013, the population of this species declined by about 90 percent. In 2001 alone, one million Emberiza Aureola were hunted for dinner in Guangdong Province. As of 2017, Emberiza Aureola is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This news is very shocking and we should take proactive measures to protect it.

Manatee

In 1493, Columbus sailed to the Caribbean and arrived at the mouth of the Bjarque River in Dominica, where he was pleasantly surprised to see numerous manatees. However, the Caribbean manatee also faced desires from western white people. Manatees have long been hunted for their delicate & tasty meat, fats that contain the beneficial DHA and EPA. Their oils that are used to make lubricants, fur for leather products, and even their ribs as a substitute for ivory. Although the natural mortality rate of manatees is also very high, overhunting by humans is the root cause of the extinction of this species.

Gharial

Gharial is one of the critically endangered species on the IUCN Red List. It is one of the largest crocodiles in the world, with a slender body and an olive green skin color. Like other crocodiles, they have been over-hunted for their skin, which can be used to make leather, leading to a dramatic decline in their numbers. Currently extinct in Myanmar, Gharial in Bangladesh, Bhutan and Pakistan may face the same fate. In 2009, there were only about 1,000 Gharials living in India’s Chambal and Yamuna rivers. The situation is very worrying and we should take effective measures to protect this precious species.

Asian Elephant

The number of wild Asian elephants has now plummeted. Domestic and service elephants are common in many countries in Southeast Asia. In the wild, they are now only distributed in Yunnan region and the border of Myanmar and Laos, the number is very rare. Asian elephants are often attacked by poachers because their ivory makes valuable artwares. Wild Asian elephant populations have declined by 97 percent since the early 19th century, and the trend has continued. According to a survey published in 2004, only 180 Asian elephants remained in whole Yunnan. Till now, the elephants gradually increases, but species in the border also need our more helps.

Monk Seal

The monk seal is another species that has been driven to extinction by human greed. As people hunt them for seal oil and fur, the consequences for these poor creatures are catastrophic. There are three species of monk seal: Hawaiian Monk Seal, Mediterranean Monk Seal and Caribbean Monk Seal. Unfortunately, Caribbean Monk Seal has become the first seal species to go extinct due to human activity around the countries. Two other monk seal species are also in decline. At present, there are only 1,200 Hawaiian monk seals and 500 Mediterranean monk seals, and the number of the former is declining at a rate of 4% per year. This situation is very worrying and effective protection measures should be taken to prevent these precious animal species from disappearing.

Black Rhinoceros

Black Rhinoceros, a species threatened by poaching, is seen as a status symbol in some countries because of the excellent decoration of its horns. Throughout the 1980s, the number of black rhinos declined dramatically as many poachers stopped at nothing in pursuit of profit. In the 20th century, black rhinos were the most of all rhinos. However, 95 percent of Tanzania’s black rhinos were killed by poachers between 1981 and 1987. By about 1990, their numbers had fallen below to 2,500. According to 2003 data, the black rhino population has begun to recover, and there are now about 3,610 individuals. Although we have seen these positive changes, we should still take effective measures to protect these precious animals from further damage.

Finback Whale

Finback Whale is the second largest living creature after the blue whale. However, due to human overhunting of them, finbacks have been faced with the danger of extinction. The whales are hunted for their blubber, oil and baleen. Between 1904 and 1975, about 704,000 finbacks were killed in Antarctic waters. As a result, finback are listed as endangered by International Union for Conservation of Nature. We must take effective measures to protect these precious animals and prevent them from decreasing further.

Endangered animals face serious threats to their survival, so we need to take a series of measures to protect them.

Here are some possibilities:

1. Create Protected Areas – Protect endangered animal habitats by creating protected areas to prevent human disturbance and destruction.

2. Reduce killing – Develop policies and laws to reduce or prohibit the killing of endangered animals to curb illegal poaching.

3. Scientific Research – Strengthen scientific research on endangered species, understand their ecology, living habits and quantitative changes and other information, and propose effective protection plans in a targeted manner.

4. Increase Public Awareness – Through education, media and other means to increase public concern and awareness of endangered animals, improve their awareness and action.

5. Ecological Restoration – Appropriate ecological restoration work should be carried out in the protected area, such as planting vegetation and improving water sources, to provide a better habitat for endangered species.

6. International Cooperation – Strengthen international collaboration and cooperation to develop global conservation measures to avoid local conservation leading to increased poaching in other areas.

Q: What do you do to protect endangered animals?

A: We are maker of animatronic animal models! We can restore 1:1 sized endangered animal models as Sumatran Rhinocerous, Vaquita, Bluefin Tuna, Emberiza Aureola, Manatee, Gharial, Asian Elephant, Monk Seal, Black Rhinoceros and Finback…for various Animal Protection Organizations, Natural Museums, Historical Museums, etc. Through lifesized animal display, let people see miraculous natures and know meanings of animal protection.

Let’s see our recovered animal models as Blue Whale style (animatronic whale):