Giraffe - Giraffes are found in Africa, which is a hotspot for wildlife issues including poaching and the bushmeat trade. They are considered "megafauna", which means they are large animals that can be categorized with elephants, rhinoceroses, and whales (other animals that need attention as well). Plus, I really like giraffes.
Orangutan - Orangutan's are Great Apes. No, I don't mean they're awesome (well, they are, but that's beside the point), I mean that they are in the same group as chimpanzees, gorillas, and humans. It's hard to believe that one of our closest cousins is in grave danger, but the orangutan is a victim of deforestation and poaching in Indonesia, and is being quickly driven to extinction. The population of wild individuals has decreased by 80% in the past century, so if we don't act now, they could be lost forever.
Bat - In North America, bats are in danger of White Nose Syndrome, a type of fungus that has caused genocide-like conditions for these animals. It effects seven bat species, including the endangered grey bats and endangered Indiana bats. Unfortunately, a lot of conservation efforts have been stomped by coal companies (who make a lot of money from bat hibernaculas, aka caves and mines).
Wolf - The wolf's road to success is a bumpy one. Once a top predator in North America, they have been nearly wiped out of most of their original territory, and now are found mostly in the western United States (one of the reasons we here in the east have so many deer sleeping on the side of the highways). There has been a small group of animals reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park, and I'm crossing my fingers for their welfare, because human-wolf conflict still poses a huge threat to them.
California Condor - At one point the California Condor was teetering at the brink of demise, with only 23 individuals left in 1982. Now, I'm happy to say that there are over 400 birds in the wild. They are an incredible success story, and I wish every animal that we fear losing could come back this strong. In a world where species seem to disappear every day, the California Condor is a beacon of hope.
Sharks - First of all, yes, sharks are wildlife, so they will have a part in this blog, along with other aquatic animals. In fact, they are one of my favorite animals, and unfortunately, in need of desperate help. Sharks are often feared by people, but in fact, they should fear us. We slaughter thousands of sharks every day for their fins and cartilage, and frankly, it disgusts me. These predators have been around for waaaaay longer than us, and we have the potential to wipe them off the planet, which will harm the whole ocean ecosystem.
Well, there ya have it! Just a few animals that I've chosen to represent conservation. I tried to keep it brief in this post, but I will certainly be revisiting a lot (if not all) of these issues to expand on them. Thanks for reading!
Sources:
http://asiancorrespondent.com/98692/indonesia-orangutans-extinction-conservatio/
http://www.batconservation.org/about-bats/conservation/white-nose-syndrome
http://www.fws.gov/endangered/map/ESA_success_stories/CA/CA_story1/index.html
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