Rare Wildlife Photographs of Threatened Species

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Rare Wildlife Photographs of Threatened Species

By Monica Gray - March 10, 2023

Where Tradition Meets Endangerment: The Wild Cat Of South America

In the Andes Mountains, traditions and religions use animals as protectors and sacrifices. This is how this endangered wild cat ended up in a religious ceremony. In this shed in the Andes Mountains, locals celebrated the Andean cat as their guardian and good luck for fertile livestock. Though we may not fully understand ancient traditions, we can do our best to learn about them. Sebastian Kennerknecht captured this image to depict the most endangered wild cat in all of South America. Less than 2,500 individuals are remaining in the wild (Big Cats Wild Cats).

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The Stealthy Badger

Late at night, Sami Vartiainen lurked through the woods only 23 feet away from a badger. They sat there for 45 minutes, watching the badger walk around, scratch its head, sniff the air, and crawl. It searched for food in the darkness and wandered around its den. The badger’s primary source of food is prairie dogs, and due to shooting and poisoning, their population is also decreasing which in turn affects the population of badgers. Due to habitat loss, urban development, agriculture, and deforestation, the population of badgers is decreasing (National Geographic).

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Baby Orangutans In Borneo

Industrial logging, unsustainable logging, clearing of land, and overexploitation are impacting the population of the orangutans. Their species are disappearing, and scientists consider them a critically endangered species. More than 50% of the orangutan population lives outside protected forest areas. The palm oil and timber industry pose major threats to the forest. As seen in this photo, the International Animal Rescue takes care of these orphaned orangutans and rehabilitates them, in the hopes of reintroducing them back into the environment. They do this by helping the orangutans forage for food and make nests while interacting with other orangutans their age (World Wild Life).

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Uncontrolled Eel-Hunting In The Caribbean

Authorities regulate eel-hunting in the USA. But once you step over to the Caribbean, authorities do not regulate it. Eladio Fernandez captured a group of fishermen caught in illegal activity over the El Limon River. To get this shot, Fernandez was dedicated to the cause and spent several days waiting to capture the perfect photograph depicting what we see here. Due to numerous reasons, eels are considered an endangered species. Illegal fishing, as we see here, in addition to the development of hydropower turbines and pumping stations that kill the movement (Courses).

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The Heartbreaking Cycle Of Life

Even though this photograph depicts a heartbreaking scene, where a baby monkey clings to its dead mother, it also shows the cycle of life. The leopard needs food to eat, so it killed its prey. This happened in South Luangwa National Park in Zambia, when Igor Altuna captured this stunning photograph. After the leopard reached its home, it play-hunted with the baby for an hour until ultimately killing it. Because people widely trade leopard skins and canine teeth, the poaching of leopards is unfortunately a common occurrence and thus lead to the endangerment of leopards. Their population is rapidly disappearing, and there are only around 250,000 leopards left in the world (Save Animals Facing Extinction).

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The Closeup Of The Red Panda

Though the red panda is legally protected in India, Nepal, Myanmar, and China, scientists still consider them endangered. This is mainly due to human interference, poaching, habitat loss, and degradation. Over the last two decades, their population has decreased by nearly 40%. This is a shocking number that puts their species and risk of extinction into perspective. They’re important because they help balance the ecosystem and keep the amount of bamboo in the world under control. If bamboo goes out of control, it affects the forest, which in turn affects the plants and animals living there. It’s a domino effect (Conserve Energy Future).

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The Colony Of Flamingos

Due to habitat loss because of human interference, like mineral mining, scientists consider flamingos well on their way to becoming an endangered species. There are around 80,000-90,000 American flamingos left in the world. Researchers find it difficult to get an accurate count of flamingos because they often fly around and move habitats. Photographer Claudio Contreras Koob captured this photograph of flamingos lying at Mexico’s Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve. They picked up the chicks and brought them back to the safety of the colony. Because flamingos are sensitive to changes in the environment, scientists are worried climate change will have a drastic effect on their species (Flamingos World).

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The Pregnant Barbigant Seahorses

This Barbigant seahorse is a male who is pregnant. You can’t tell from this photograph, but they only grow to a maximum of three-quarters of an inch long. Photographer Nicholas More captured this stunning photo in Bali. The way this species survives is by mimicking the colors of the host they grip on to, in this case, a pink sea fan. They gestate for two weeks before giving birth to tiny, live young. Out of 35 species of seahorses, scientists only consider around 11 of them vulnerable. One species is endangered, one is near threatened, and two as least concerned. This is due to habitat change and climate change. Seahorses are often accidentally captured by fishing nets intended to capture shrimp (Project Sea Horse).

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The Snowy Snowshoe Hare

Photographers put in long hours in harsh conditions just to capture the ideal shot. This photographer is no exception. Deena Sveinsson waited long hours in freezing conditions. Just as she was about to give up, she spotted this Snowshoe Hare sitting in a mound of snow, looking straight at her. Unfortunately, due to climate change and habitat loss, scientists now consider the snowshoe hare species under threat. They’re well on their way to endangerment. Some habitats that previously had snow for long periods are now seeing warmer climates, endangering many species that rely on the cold, wintery seasons for survival (Animalia).

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Meet Dantita, A Baird’s Tapir

This beautiful creature, named Dantita, lives in the foothills of Braulio Carrillo National Park. They’re referred to as gardeners of the forest, and their species is important to their natural habitat since seeds germinate after passing through the tapir. But the species is now endangered, due to threats from deforestation and hunting, climate change, and road development. There are less than 4,500 ones left in the wild. They are large creatures and have a slow rate of reproduction, which is why their species is also very susceptible to climate change. Several conservation groups come together to help protect this species and work closely with communities to preserve this now-endangered species (Rewild).

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The Lone Wolf

In Vancouver Island, Canada, the photographer spotted this lone wolf wandering through eelgrass over a mudflat. Photographer Bertie Gregory was searching for black bears when he captured this majestic photograph of the species that is now under threat. Though researchers don’t consider them fully endangered, only 250,000 remain in the world. The endangered act protects gray wolves in the USA. Wolves are incredibly important, as they improve the habitat and help control certain species of bird and trout (Living with Wolves).

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The Majestic Snow Leopard

These majestic creatures are difficult to capture because of their stealthiness and ability to conceal. Sascha Fonseca captured this image to go against the unethical practices of photography, like using bait to lure animals to the lens, and prove that photographers do not need bait to draw an animal to their lens. The photographer spotted this snow leopard in the snowy mountains of Ladakh, India. Snow leopards, though not yet endangered, are considered vulnerable because of their dwindling numbers due to climate change, poaching, habitat loss, and the killing of their prey. They’re especially susceptible to changes in the environment, which is happening at a pace faster than humans can comprehend (World Wild Life).

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Muskoxen In Norway

In this photograph, we see a short, yet intense fight between two muskoxen as they fight over a female in heat. The fight was not as intense as the photographer, Miquel Angel Artús Illana, anticipated. But he still captured an enticing fight. He had followed the female, a male, and their three calves for four days before witnessing this fight. Though not endangered, scientists listed their species as the least concern, which is good news for the muskoxen species. Their species is considered stable, with around 80,000 to 120,000 left in the world. At least there’s some good news in this world, and not every species is going extinct (Discover Wildlife).

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