It has been 4 years since I started this blog. I will draw or write about the remaining 365 endangered species one day as I feel the urge to express my concern and interest in endangered species.
I guess I feel I needed to write this just as a "hang-on" kinda note to myself really.
We were once a tribe. We were called the golden ones. The golden mole survives as does the golden lion tamarin monkey and the golden tanager. But there were more of us. We were the golden ones.
The Red-headed Vulture, Sarcogyps calvus, is listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Its red head, jet-black body, red folds of skin on its throat and wingspan of over two metres make this vulture a striking creature. Sadly, there are currently less than 10,000 of these vultures in the wid.
The cause for the massive decline in numbers of Red-headed Vultures is the consumption of livestock treated with the veterinary drug diclofenac. The drug causes kidney failure in vultures has been shown to be responsible for the huge declines in populations of vultures of the genus gyps.
Fortunately, the manufacture of diclofenac has been banned in India, Nepal and Pakistan, and its use is being replaced with a drug that is not poisonous to vultures. As it may be a while before diclofenac is completely removed, captive breeding programmes will ensure the survival of this critically endangered vulture.
The Chinese Crested Tern, Sterna bernsteini, is listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This seabird was previously thought to be extinct but was re-discovered in 2000. Exclusively coastal, the Chinese Crested Tern only breeds in China and Taiwan on offshore islets and tidal mudflats.
Tragically, the total population is estimated to be at less than 50 individuals. The future of this species is threatened by egg-collection, human disturbance and the loss of coastal wetland habitats. Other threats include the introduction of predatory species such as rats and water pollution that affect the terns’ food sources.
This Chinese Crested Tern is nationally protected in China and Thailand and nesting habitat is patrolled in the breeding season. This has served as an effective deterrent to egg collectors. Programmes to raise local awareness of this bird and address socio economic factors relating to its conservation are being developed.
The Chinese Giant Salamander, Andrias davidianus, is listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Speciesรค. It is the largest of all amphibian species, sometimes growing to more than one meter in length. The Chinese Giant Salamander is widespread in central, southern and southwestern China.
This was once a common species but there has been a drastic population decline of more than 80% over the last three generations largely due to over-harvesting, as it is considered to be a luxury food. Furthermore, the Chinese Giant Salamander habitat has suffered from the construction of dams and local pesticides, fertilizers and pollutants. Although the Chinese Giant Salamander is commercially farmed, the vast majority being traded is believed to originate from the wild.
Fourteen nature reserves have been established for the conservation of the Chinese Giant Salamander, however there are concerns that development around reserves, and tourism plans within the reserve, will disrupt healthy rivers and habitats. Captive rearing of Chinese Giant Salamander has achieved some success, but these projects are mainly to meet the market demand.
