10+ Animals That Are Leaving the Endangered List

Planet Earth’s natural resources are finite and, in this path of mistakes and successes, many animals are at risk of becoming extinct. Some were even considered abolished from their natural habitat, but luckily they reappeared in the phenomenon known as Taxon Lazarus🇧🇷 The good news is that today there is important information on how to deal with the loss of biodiversity, present, for example, in the most complete inventory on the conservation status of species, called the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Resources (IUCN) of threatened species, or the IUCN Red List, responsible for indicating the risk of extinction in categories and informing which animals and plants are recovering.

O awesome.club wants to share with you, the reader, a list of animals that are leaving the danger of extinction to inspire everyone to continue taking care of the environment, thus making this world better. Good reading!

The long-nosed bat, also known as the lesser long-nosed bat, is one of the main pollinators of several species of agaves (succulent plant vegetation), from which mezcal and tequila are extracted. In addition, it fulfills fundamental biological functions for the health of the ecosystem in which it lives. Despite its importance, this incredible animal was classified as endangered until, in 2013, it left the list of endangered species, becoming the first mammal in Mexico to achieve this feat.

These positive results were only obtained after a joint effort by scientists, communities and government entities. Sustainable practices like letting the blue agaves flourish in the fields were key, as was labeling the bat as friendly. (bat-friendly).

Rodrigo Medellín, known as “The Batman of Mexico”, has been involved in this project since the beginning and commented that “flying mammals provide vital ecosystem services, such as pollination, seed dispersal and pest control”. In addition, this animal is essential for restoring the recently affected genetic diversity of agaves.

Considered the last wild horse, this incredible horse is back in its natural habitat!

Incredibly, all Przewalski’s horses alive today descend from a small number of horses captured in the early 20th century and kept in zoos. This species was even declared extinct from its wild habitat in 1969. But luckily, in 1992, 16 horses were reintroduced to the wild in Central Mongolia, in an area that was later designated as Hustai National Park, where they continue to roam freely. .

In 2011, the world population of Przewalski’s horses numbered around 1,400, of which 250 were in the wild. Since then, the species has continued to increase. In the last evaluation, carried out in 2008, almost 2 thousand live Przewalski horses were counted.

Humpback whales are marine animals that roam the world and make longer migrations than any other mammal on Earth. In 1988, this wonderful animal faced the consequences of overfishing, leading it to be classified as an endangered species.

But as a result of international efforts to protect and conserve the species, most populations have recovered. The ban on commercial whaling, still in force by the International Whaling Commission in 1982, was decisive for the recovery of humpback whales. “A true ecological success story,” said Eileen Sobeck, a member of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), who in 2016 finally proposed removing the species from the ocean. status of danger of extinction in which it found itself.

In the 1970s, the agrochemical residues present in the fish on which the bald eagle fed, as well as its indiscriminate hunting, caused a significant decrease in the population of this animal, to the point of being classified as an endangered species in the United States. , where it is considered a national symbol.

After carrying out a recovery plan, the objectives of increasing the species and expanding the number of occupied territories were achieved. In 1996, it entered the category of least concern and, in 2007, it was finally removed from the list of endangered species, but the protection of the species and its nests was maintained by law.

The giant panda bear is a curious but solitary animal that has undoubtedly managed to carry the flag for conservation. It ceased to be cataloged as a rare species in the 1980s, when there was an increase in the number of individuals in the wild, after years of decline.

In 2016 they announced that giant pandas had passed the status from “endangered” to “vulnerable” after a population growth of nearly 17%. The protection of these large mammals is great news for forests in general and also for other species such as the golden snub-nosed monkey, the takin and the crested ibis. This is because, to ensure the conservation of the giant panda, it is necessary to protect not only the environment, but also the species that live in it.

The Arabian oryx, a beautiful antelope prepared to live in the desert, also almost went extinct from the Arabian Peninsula and the Sinai desert.

The good news is that, since 2011, the population of this animal has stabilized, currently being a species classified as “vulnerable”. This is a great achievement, as, according to the IUCN Red List, between 1986 and 2008 the species was in danger of extinction.

Programs aimed at breeding and reintroducing the species in captivity since 2007 have been successful. The objective was to recover the historic distribution range of the Arabian oryx and create a self-sufficient population in its natural habitat. According to the most recent reports, there are approximately 1,220 wild oryx in the Arabian Peninsula, so the species is on the verge of moving from “vulnerable” to “near threatened”.

O Gallirallus owstoni It is a flightless bird, endemic to the island of Guam, located in the western Pacific Ocean.

So far, it is the second bird in history to recover, after being considered extinct in the wild. The reduction of this species occurred after the Second World War, as a result of the accidental introduction of a type of arboreal snake, which, in 1987, had eradicated the bird from its natural habitat.

After more than 35 years of much learning shared between zoos and a group of people involved in the creation of this species in captivity, it was successfully released into the wild, although active management is still necessary to ensure the preservation of the animal.

The crested lizard is one of two species included in the phenomenon called Taxon Lazarus, that is, it reappeared in 1994 in the French archipelago of New Caledonia, a century after it was considered extinct. Little is known about this reptile and, since its reappearance, it has been classified as a “vulnerable” species, being common to see it kept as a pet.

It is currently protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), known as the Washington Convention.

Another marine animal that is making a comeback is the manatee, also known as the West Indies manatee, which has been upgraded from “endangered” to “threatened species”.

The news was released by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in 2017, considering the area known as the West Indies, which covers the southeastern United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Central America, North and of the South and the Greater and Lesser Antilles.

Although it is still endangered, this important achievement means that the population of this marine mammal is increasing and also that its natural habitat has improved. Therefore, efforts and collaborations regarding the conservation of this species are working.

The mountain gorilla is a subspecies of gorilla that lives in the so-called Virunga massif in Central Africa, which encompasses three countries and four national parks.

Despite the threats faced, the population of this subspecies has also increased. In 2008, it was estimated that there was a population of 680 individuals, while in 2018 there was an increase to over 1,000, the highest number recorded for the subspecies. As a result, the animal went from “critically endangered” to “endangered”.

In India you can find 70% of the wild tigers in the world. Therefore, even if this feline has not changed its current conservation status, which classifies it as an endangered species, the most recent census carried out in the country in 2018 indicated that its population is stable or is growing, which represents a breakthrough and hope for the species.

Do you know of other animals that have recovered from the danger of extinction? Would you like us to do a second post with new species? Leave your opinion and tips in the comments.