Animal Conservation

Lately (and probably because of all the shows on Animal Planet that I have been watching - Orangutan Island! Escape to Chimp Eden!) , I decided to do some research on Animal Conservation and protecting endangered and threatened wildlife.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) a.k.a. World Conservation Union, is widely accepted as the utmost authority on global population status of species. Each year, they produce a Red List which details and rates the status of threatened wildlife. This Red List builds global awareness of animal conservation and the desparate need that we, as a planet, must protect our natural resources.

Each species is categorized into one of the categories shown on the chart above. Here is the breakdown:

• EX - Extinct - There is no reasonable doubt that the last of the species has died.
• EW - Extinct in the Wild - The only known individuals of the species exist in captivity.
• CR - Critically Endangered - The species is at an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
• EN - Endangered - The species is at a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
• VU - Vulnerable - The species is at a high risk of extinction in the wild.
• NT - Near Threatened - The species is close to qualifying for a threatened category (VU, EN, CR), and is very likely to qualify in the near future.
• LC - Least Concerned - The species population is abundant and widespread.