I feel a bit conflicted asking people to celebrate Endangered Species Day, which is today (May 17th).

Why is it important to celebrate such a day? Well, there is good news. We are re-introducing animals (and plants!) to their natural habitats and returning small pockets of the world back to how they used to be, the Black-footed Ferret in Grasslands National Park, Canada is one such species. We are also conserving some vast parts of the planet where animals can still live their entire lives without being disturbed by humans, or even, in some cases, without any human contact at all.

 

On the other side, re-introduction and saving species from extinction and endangerment shouldn’t be such a big issue. The main reason for most species being endangered is our own past actions. We’ve taken away their habitats, hunted them down to near extinction or poisoned their food supply and habitat to such extents that they can barely survive.

Those are not actions to celebrate and be happy about.

List’s of endangered species read like a celebrity awards show for animals. We’ve got tigers, lions and bears. Whales, dolphins and turtles. Monkeys, gorillas and chimps. Many of them are the coolest of the cool when it comes to animals we carry around in plush form as kids or desire to see on TV, in the Zoo or – if lucky – in the wild.

If you’re curious to see what species are endangered, view this World Wildlife Fund (WWF) list of species, by endangered status.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) produces a “Red List” of plant and animal species that are under threat, endangered, extinct or somewhere in between. Today there are 10,000+ species either critically endangered or endangered, and another 10,000+ listed as vulnerable. Discover more about the IUCN endangered species.

 

There are many species that are now classed as extinct in the wild. Meaning they only exist in places like private conservation areas, zoos or scientific facilities. I don’t deny that Zoo’s play an important role in the world we live in now, yet it is marginally better that many people will only ever have the pleasure of seeing some of the world’s most endangered animals in zoos or aquariums. As exciting as it may be to see an endangered Orangutan or Bengal Tiger in  Zoo, it’s not where they belong. But, it does inspire youngsters to possibly get involved in conservation and help protect these species, and others, in the future.

Wildlife is one of the main reasons I travel and whether it be Africa, Asia or South America, and I’m always happy to support the efforts of National Park systems and conservation programs. Education is the key element that can lead to successful programs in getting species off of the endangered list. We’ll never be able to save every animal out there, as quite simply, we’ve taken over too much land on the planet for our personal use. But that doesn’t mean things have to get worse instead of better, right?

 

Here are a few more species I’ve had the pleasure of photographing in the wild that are endangered or, on their way to becoming endangered. Hopefully your travels take you to places where conservation and appreciation of nature will let you see some of the world’s great creatures in their natural habitats.