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The Animal Species We Have Lost

Take a look at some of the losses the World's animal kingdom has suffered over the past few years and how you can help make a difference.

Spix's Macaw

Famous as the star of the movie Rio, these brilliant blue birds no longer exist in the wild. Around 160 Spix's Macaws do still exist in the world, but they are all in captivity.

During 2018 we also saw the less well-known cryptic treehunter, Alagoas foliage-gleaner and poo-uli become extinct.

Charities like RSPB analyse the threat facing birds and find ways to put it right to prevent even more bird species from becoming extinct.

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Splendid Poison Frog

The splendid poison frog was declared extinct in 2020 by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They belonged to the poison dart frogs species, and were one of the most brightly coloured species of frogs in the world! 

Human activities such as logging and the expansion of settlements have largely attributed to the extinction of this poison frog. Some researchers also believe that the chytrid fungus outbreak in 1996 contributed to their extinction. 

Charities like The Froglife Trust work towards improving amphibian and reptile habitats. Their mission is for our world in which reptiles and amphibian populations flourish as part of healthy ecosystems.

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Northern White Rhino

Sudan, the last male northern white rhino died in March 2018, at the ripe old age of 45. Just two female northern white rhinos are now known to exist - Sudan's daughter Najin and her daughter Fatu. The only hope of preserving the species lies in developing IVF techniques using stored northern white rhino semen, eggs from the last two remaining females and surrogate southern white rhino females.

Poaching of rhino horn for use in traditional Chinese medicines wiped out the northern white rhino populations in the 1970s and 80s. Charities like Helping Rhinos continue to fund scientific research to help the species continue in a lab - the only hope of a future for the sub-species is a scientific breakthrough.

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Vaquita Porpoise

Thanks to the high demand for rare fish bladders, it is believed there are as few as 12 vaquita - the world's smallest cetacean -  left in the wild.

In 2017 an attempt was made to catch some of the last remaining porpoises using military-trained dolphins to bring them into a captive breeding programme but had to be called off following the unfortunate death of a breeding-age female. Whale & Dolphin Conservation (WDC) is the leading global charity dedicated to the conservation and protection of whales and dolphins. They defend these remarkable creatures against the many threats they face.

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Eastern Cougar

Listed as an endangered species since 1973, there hasn't been a confirmed sighting of this big cat in 80 years. Eastern Cougars used to be found in the forests and mountains across North America and were officially declared extinct in January 2018 after a 7-year extensive review into their status.

Charities like The Big Cat Sanctuary, based in Kent, assist in the World's conservation efforts by breeding endangered cats within the European Endangered Species Breeding Programme to prevent more sub-species like the Eastern Cougar from becoming extinct.

Support the work of The Big Cat Sanctuary for FREE when you shop online via Give as you Live Online> 


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