Posted On: 2023-05-19 11:32:14
The Third Friday of May is annually celebrated as National Endangered Species Day. This year, National Endangered Species Day falls on May 19th. The objective of this day is to raise awareness about endangered animals and plants and various ways to conserve them.
India passed the Wild Life (Protection) Act in 1972 to keep animals safe. Despite the laws in effect, India is home to around 199 endangered species, according to International Union of Conservation for Nature Red List 2021.
Loss of Habitat, Hunting and Poaching, and Pollution are some of the reasons for the dwindling population of wild species. Without wasting any further time, let’s talk about five endangered species in India:
It pains our hearts to include the ‘National Animal of India’ in this list. Even though recent conservation efforts have proven to be a success, increasing the number of tigers to 3,167, which is double the number twenty years ago. It is still considered to be endangered and more effort is required. Saving Tiger Society is one Kolkata-based NGO actively working to conserve the population of Bengal Tigers.
Native to the snowy regions of Himalayas, Snow Leopards are one of the most elegant and magnificent big cats in the world. However, Habitat Loss, Climate Change and Illegal Wildlife Hunting and Trade have proven to be their biggest enemy. It is estimated that there are about 3,020-5,390 snow leopards alive today. Snow Leopard India Conservatory Trust is an NGO located in Ladakh, which is primarily focused on preserving the population of snow leopards.
Also known as Wanderoo, Lion-Tailer Macaque can be found in the hilly regions of the Western Ghats. They usually roam around in packs of about 19-25 individuals, led by an adult male. International Conservation of Conservation for Nature has numbered the population of Lion-Tailer Macaque below 4,000.
Known locally as Hangul, the population of Kashmiri Red Stag has shown marginal improvement in recent years, thanks to conservation efforts. In 2008, the number of Kashmiri Stags was 127, but now the population is around 263, according to the 2021 census. In the 1970s, The Government of Jammu and Kashmir, along with IUCN and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) prepared a project to conserve Kashmiri Red Stags. Dachigal National Park is said to be the last abode for Kashmiri Red Stags.
Nilgiri Tahr was once found in the entire stretch of Western Ghats, but today they can only be found in small scattered regions. As per the WWF Report, Nilgiri Tahr’s numbers are estimated to be 3,122. Nilgiri Tahr Foundation is an NGO, located in Kerala, that is striving to conserve the population of Nilgiri Tahr.
Thank You for taking the time to read this blog. Please share this blog with your friends and family members. Child Help Foundation’s Life on Land programme is primarily focused on helping stray animals and users can also start fundraisers for animals on Filaantro; a crowdfunding partner of Child Help Foundation.
Author: Adil Sayyad
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