Remove Salmon-Eating Sea Lions

On May, 13 2011 NOAA's Fisheries Service said it was authorizing the states of Washington and Oregon to lethally remove specific California Sea Lions that congregate 140 miles from the Pacific Ocean just below the Columbia's River's Bonneville Dam to eat thousands of adult salmon and steelhead swimming upriver to spawn. Some of the salmon and steelhead are listed as threatened or endangered. "This is not an easy decision for our agency to make, but a thorough analysis shows that a small number of California sea lions preying on salmon and steelhead are having a significant effect in the ability of the fish stocks to recover," said William W. Stelle Jr., Northwest regional administrator for NOAA's Fisheries Service. "Today's authorization allows state fisheries and natural resource agencies to carefully remove California sea lions to reduce their affects on vulnerable fish species." Like all marine mammals in U.S. waters, California sea lions are protected by federal law, but their are provisions in the Marine Mammal Protection Act that allow today's authorization. The California sea lion population on the West Coast is considered healthy and stable, and estimated to be 238,000.

I think that is was okay to safely remove these sea lions so that the salmon and steelhead could thrive, as long as they didn't harm the sea lions.
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2011/20110512_sealion.html

Bluefin Tuna Not Warranted

After an extensive scientific review, NOAA announced on May, 27 that Atlantic Bluefin Tuna currently do not warrant species protection under the Endangered Species Act. NOAA has committed to revisit this decision by early 2013, when more information will be available about the effects of the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill, as well as a new stock assessment from the scientific arm of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, the international body charged with the fish's management and conservation. NOAA is formally designating both the western Atlantic and eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean stocks of bluefin tuna as "species of concern" under the Endangered Species Act. This places the species on a watch list for concerns about it's status and threats to the species.

I think that they should have probably kept protecting this species.
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2011/20110527_bluefintuna.html

From Butterflies, to Penguins, to Walruses

Every year, millions of these Monarch Butterflies migrate from North America to their winter habitat in Mexico. There is a well preserved and protected high-altitude pine and fir forest in Mexico that is essential for the survival of the overwintering of monarchs, which has been recognized as an endangered biological phenomenon. These butterflies reproductive habitats are protected in the United States and Canada because these locations are also crucial to saving this species migration, one of the most remarkable natural phenomena on the planet. WWF and the Mexican Fund for the Conservation of Nature have designated a strategy to protect and restore the Monarch butterflies wintering habitat in Mexico, so that the butterflies are protected from extreme weather and other threats.

These Magellanic Penguins were once threatened by oil spills. Now they face a much larger threat as fish are displaced by warming ocean currents, forcing the penguins to swim farther to find food. In 2009, many of these penguins washed up on beaches around Rio de Janeiro, many emaciated or dead. Their traditional nesting area is at the southern tip of Argentina. Scientists speculate that changes in ocean currents or temperatures, which may be related to climate change, could have been responsible for these penguins moving more than a thousand miles north of their traditional nesting area. 12 out of the 17 penguin species are currently experiencing rapid population decline.

The Pacific Walrus, one of the latest victims of climate change, live in the Arctic Bering and Chukchi Seas. In September of 2009, up to 200 dead walruses were spotted on the shore of the Chukchi Sea on Alaska's northwest coast. These animals use floating ice for resting, birthing and nursing calves, and protection from predators. With Arctic ice melting, the Pacific Walrus is experiencing habitat loss to the extent that in September 2009, the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced that adding the walrus to the Endangered Species list may be warranted.

Here are even more species that are endangered and their populations are rapidly decreasing. The world should consider helping them, before it's too late.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/6927330/Top-10-most-endangered-species-in-the-world.html

From Turtles, to Salamanders, to Seals

The Leatherback Sea Turtle is the world's largest turtle and has the biggest range of any species, swimming all over the globe from the tropics to the sub-polar regions. When it's time for these turtles to dig a nest and lay it's eggs, it crawls out onto sandy sub-tropical beaches. This particular specie of turtle is endangered. In 1982 there were around 115,000 adult female Leatherback Turtles in the world, according to the IUCN. Just 14 years later, there were only 20,000-30,000 and the population has continued to plummet. The reasons for these turtles population to be plummeting is because humans steal their eggs, illegal hunting, nesting-habitat loss due to beach development, and the erosion of beaches due to global climate change. These turtles also often die after ingesting plastic debris they find floating in the ocean, mistaking it for jellyfish or other food.

The Chinese Giant Salamander is the world's largest amphibian, growing to lengths of up to 6 feet. This salamander used to be common throughout central, southwestern, and southern China. In these areas, it lives in streams in the forested hills. They lay up to 500 eggs at a time in underwater burrows which are guarded by the males. These Chinese Giant Salamander's have almost completely disappeared due to their over-exploitation as a food source.

These Hawaiian Monk Seals tend to live on remote beaches throughout the Hawaiian Island chain. Although they live far from human reach, fewer than 1,000 of them remain and their numbers continue to dwindle. Scientists are not sure of the cause, but they suspect that changes in the ocean conditions and competition from commercial fisherman may be reducing the numbers of fish these seals depend on for food. These Hawaiian Monk Seals also face threats from entanglements in fishing nets and discarded fishing gear and they can also catch diseases from dogs and other domestic animals.  

I think it is important to post about endangered animals to try to get people to help them.
http://www.allaboutwildlife.com/ten-most-endangered-animals/

Unknown Endangered Species

Many of these species are not very well known to be endangered. Take this Greater Bamboo Lemur for example. These lemurs live on the island of Madagascar, of the southeastern coast of Africa. It is home to dozens of species of lemurs and almost all of them are disappearing rapidly due to habitat loss and illegal hunting. Although many species of lemurs are disappearing here, the most critically endangered is the Greater Bamboo Lemur. Fewer than one-hundred remain on the island's southeastern and south-central forests, and they continue to be threatened by illegal hunting as well as habitat loss due to logging and the burning of forests due to agricultural purposes.

The Northern Right Whale is the most endangered of all of the world's whale species. They number around 350 individuals that travel the Atlantic coasts of Canada and the U.S. The right whale acquired it's name because in the 19th century, whalers considered it the "right" whale to kill. It was considered the right whale to kill because it carried a lot of whale oil, and it also floated when it was dead, so it was easy to handle and process. As a result, it was driven to near extinction. This whale is now protected, but it's species still continues to suffer losses due to entanglements in commercial fishing gear. Whales drown after becoming wrapped in nets, lines, and other equipment. Global climate change may also result as yet another threat to this species because it can affect the availability of the tiny crustaceans on which the right whales feed.

The Mountain Gorilla is the largest of the four gorilla subspecies. It's natural range in the highlands of East-Central Africa consists of two relatively small areas, a factor that has made it extremely vulnerable to a variety of human-related threats. Ongoing wars a poverty in the region have facilitated illegal hunting of gorillas as well as illegal timber harvesting that has further reduced the mountain gorilla's habitat. Due largely to the attention of international conservationists, the mountain gorilla population has actually increased somewhat over the last two decades. However, the animals still number fewer than 700, and poaching fueled by political instability continues to be a huge problem for the mountain gorilla. 

These poor animals need help from us to survive.
http://www.allaboutwildlife.com/ten-most-endangered-animals/mountain-gorilla

Endangered Species

Here are even more endangered animals of this world. The Ivory-Billed Woodpecker is so critically endangered that it is almost extinct. This bird lives, or lived, in the Southeastern part of the US as well as Cuba. This huge woodpecker was considered extinct until 2004, when a handful of tantalizing reports of sightings in Arkansas and Florida began to trickle in. However, definitive proof for the ivory-bill's continued existence has remained elusive, and if a population does not exist, it is likely to be tiny and extremely vulnerable. These woodpecker's owe their near, or complete extinction to habitat loss as well as over-exploitation by humans, who hunted them for their feathers.

These Amur Leopards are a very rare subspecies that lives only in the remote and snowy northern forest of eastern Russian's Primorye region. It's former range included Korea and China, but the Amur Leopard is now extinct in those countries. In 2007, a census counted only 14-20 adult Amur Leopards and 5-6 cubs. Threats to these species include habitat loss due to logging, road building and encroaching civilization, poaching and global climate change.

The Javan Rhino is the most endangered if the world's five rhinoceros species with an estimated 40-60 animals remaining on the western tip of the island of Java (Indonesia) in Ujung Kulon National Park. Another small population, containing as few as 6 rhinos, live in and around Cat Tien National Park in Vietnam. The water and swamp loving rhinos formally ranged throughout Southeast Asia and Indonesia, but has been hunted to near extinction for it's horn, which is used to make Asian folk medicine. Although it is now protected, it may not have a large enough breeding population to prevent the species from becoming extinct.

Some of these species are so endangered they are almost extinct! The world needs to help them, fast.
 http://www.allaboutwildlife.com/ten-most-endangered-animals/

And More

Polar bear cubs may be one of the universally-recognized icons of the environmental movement. This mother bear and cub are snuggling up after a long winter of hibernation in Manitboba, Canada. These polar bears will have to deal with loss of habitat as a result of climate change and bloody battles for food.

 

These black rhinoceros calf was born into the world that is not so safe for her species. In just 20 years, the number of black rhinos in the wild dropped from 65,000 to about 2,300 thanks to poaching. As of 2011, only eight black rhino babies have been born in captivity.

The Taronga Zoo in Australia says that as few as 34,000 Asian elephants remain in the wild. This is mostly due to human population growth that sadly led to these Asian elephants loss of habitat. These Asian elephants and their African relatives are also favorite target for poachers who desperately want their tusks.

 

This Panda cub, born in China in 2006, was the lightest member of it's species ever recorded at a tiny 51 grams. This picture, taken a month later, shows the mother panda caring for the baby, whom she first rejected in favor of caring for his twin. Giant pandas are endangered in the wild and are slow to breed in captivity. In 2008, there was a baby boom which saw four of them born within fourteen hours.

We need to save these species!

Even More

These Asian lions are the only member of the lion family that doesn't live in Africa. Instead, they ranged from India to the middle east. Asian lions have seen their numbers dwindle as a result of hunting and habitat destruction. There is an estimated 300 left live only on a sanctuary in India.

When you first think of endangered species, the Camel isn't usually the first animal that comes to mind. In 2002, the IUCN added the Bactrian camel, a relative to the domesticated camels used today, to it's Red List. In 2008, an estimated 950 Bactrian camels existed in the wild, with only another 15 in captivity. Major threats to these camels include locals killing them for food, increased attention from predators due to drought, and habitat loss.

 

These Humpback Whales was put on the endangered species list, although their specie has increased in numbers recently. Mother whales usually nurse for about a year or more. Humpback whales aren't fully mature until the age of ten. The closeness between this mother whale and calf are not unusual because mothers and their young swim close together, often touching one another with their flippers with what appear to be gestures of affection.

Here are even more endangered animals that we will lose if we don't do anything about them.

Endangered Animals

#1 These are some of the most worldwide known endangered species. The first is Orangutans. The biggest threat facing this specie of animal is severe habitat loss. Wild populations are fading fast. A group in Boreno National Park has decreased by 90 percent in just five years. These rapid losses provide more evidence that careful, successful, and healthy captive breeding programs are an important part of worldwide conservation efforts.

#2 In this picture from 2004, this 14-week-old Sumatran tiger cub is rescued from the water in the National Zoo in Washington, D. This mother, Soyono, had a litter of three male cubs. They were moved out of the zoo in 2006. Soyono gave birth to four other cubs in the course of two litters, and only one male, Gunter, still lives at the Zoo. Seven Sumatran tiger births in ten years is good news for a species that is believed to number fewer than 500 in the wild. There were 8 species of tigers in the world. Now there are 5, due to Javan, Bali, and Caspian tigers becoming extinct.

#3 These Western Lowland gorillas are a critically endangered species. Gorillas can grow to be as large as 400 pounds. Although this is incredibly large, they are still very susceptible to many human threats, including poaching, disease, and habitat loss.

I think that we need to do more to help these poor animals, or we will lose all of them.http://www.treehugger.com/galleries/2011/05/10-adorable-endangered-animal-babies-cuddling-up-to-mom.php?page=1

Tigers Are Endangered

Tiger population has decreased by about 95% since 1900 and it's range has decreased by 93%. World leaders and countries that have wild tigers have endorsed a major plan to double the number of tigers in the wild by 2022 underscoring their commitments at the historic International Tiger Conservation Forum. Hosted by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, governments capped a year long political process with about $127 million in new funding to support the plan, known as the Global Tiger Recovery Programme. In addition, the World Bank has offered a $100 million loan package to three tiger range countries for conservation work. Also, the Global Environment Facility committed to provide grants up to $50 million for tiger habitat conservation. Director General Jim Leape from WWF (World Wildlife Fund) says "We have never before seen this kind of political support to save a single species. We now have the strategy needed to double tiger numbers and real political momentum. There are as few as 3,200 tigers left in the wild, putting the species on the brink of extinction. I think it is a great thing that these people are trying to help these tigers. They need our help, or we will lose yet another wonder of the world.