Endangered Species Day Heightens Awareness In The World To Critically Endangered Animals, Plants And Birds


With poaching, loss of natural habitat, and other modern day problems, many species of animals and plants are critically endangered. Endangered Species Day is held on the third Friday of every May to highlight the dangers of extinction and to promote change and conservation efforts.

With thousands of species on the list, Friday is Endangered Species Day, a day to celebrate some wins in the fight and to advocate for the protection of several species at the highest risk of extinction.

As reported by International Business Times, Friday is marked with events at conservation centers and other locations nationwide as the Endangered Species Coalition, a nonprofit organization, both educates the public and pushes for assistance on behalf of the endangered species.

In the normal world, extinction is a natural process, occurring at a rate of a few species every year. However, current extinctions are increasing exponentially, with several thousand species going extinct each year.

The Endangered Species Coalition has listed on their website the various events happening this Friday, along with other events related to the preservation of endangered species happening across the U.S. in coming months.

According to Space Coast Daily, of particular interest is a series of events to be held Friday and Saturday in Merritt Island in Florida. The Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge provides a habitat for 14 different federally listed threatened and endangered animals, including the green sea turtle.

While the turtles are difficult to see, as they are nocturnal, other species such as the wood stork, Florida scrub jay and the slow-moving manatee are easier for visitors to see and visit. The Indian River Lagoon system is one of the few remaining habitats for the threatened Florida Scrub Jay and is adjacent to Shiloh.

A Discover Nature Tour will be held where a refuge volunteer gives a three-hour guided tour, including the scenic Blackpoint Wildlife drive and the manatee observation deck.

Among the species to visit on this tour are some that are either currently in decline or are now recovering, including wood storks, reddish egrets, glossy ibis, and manatees.

For those who are unable to attend any of the events on offer, individuals can make donations to the National Wildlife Federation, which is the largest private, nonprofit conservancy, along with the World Wildlife Fund, dedicated to the protection of specific endangered species.

Among the species listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature are three rhino species – the Javan, Sumatran and black rhino.

As reported by The Inquisitr, many of these rhino species are likely to disappear within the next 10 years unless urgent action is taken. Regrettably, poaching of rhino for their horns is a popular practice in Africa, with the horns sold on the black market in Asia as medicine.

Elephants are slaughtered in Africa for their ivory tusks, and while many African countries are taking action to try to prevent poaching, the demand for ivory in Asia continues, with devastating effects on the species.

It was reported in April this year that conservationists in Cambodia have declared the endangered “Indochinese” tiger species “functionally extinct.” However, officials did report that a massive conservation effort is currently underway in an effort to reintroduce breeding populations.

To highlight just how bad things are in these modern times, another species which is listed as critically endangered is the Hawksbill sea turtle – a creature that has existed on Earth for 100 million years.

Endangered Species Day
[Image Hawksbill Sea Turtle via Flickr by Adam/CC BY 2.0]
[Photo by Paul Edwards – Pool/Getty Images]

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