ANIMALS (^) | PESSIMIST’S GUIDE
ENDANGERED
Gray crowned crane
The population of this
endangered African crane
has dropped from more than
100,000 wild individuals
to some 30,000 in the past
35 years. Reaching heights
of around three feet, the ele-
gant bird has suffered from
poaching for its meat and
eggs, as well as from the
destruction of the wetland
habitat where it breeds and
hunts. The crane pictured
here is a captive animal at
France’s Parc des Oiseaux.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTO ARK
PANDAS AND TIGERS may be the poster creatures for
conservation, but thousands more threatened animals
languish out of the spotlight. Most of them aren’t cuddly
or charismatic, but they’re no less crucial to ecosystems.
Of the 30,000 species documented as being at risk of
extinction, 28 percent are reptiles—including six of the
seven kinds of sea turtles. Birds are declining because of
climate change, habitat loss, predation, and pesticides,
with a whopping 2.9 billion fewer in North America
than in 1970. Reversing the trend over the next half
century requires focusing a lot more attention on these
underappreciated rarities. —CHRISTINE DELL’AMORE
VULNERABLE
Koala
Widespread hunting in the
19th and 20th centuries took
a toll on koala populations.
Now the fuzzy marsupials,
often mistakenly called koala
bears, face new perils: climate
change; highways that
fragment habitats; and the
sexually transmitted disease
chlamydia, which has ravaged
some groups with a 100 per-
cent infection rate. Wildfires
have become a particular
threat. Koalas rarely descend
from the eucalyptus trees
whose leaves make up the
bulk of their diet, so many
have been unable to escape
the unprecedented fires
in eastern Australia. These
young koalas, or joeys, snug-
gle together at the Australia
Zoo in Beerwah, Queensland.
THESE ANIMALS
ARE SLIPPING AWAY
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOEL SARTORE
CRITICALLY
ENDANGERED
Hawksbill turtle
Found in tropical and
subtropical waters world-
wide, hawksbill turtles
are hunted for their eggs,
meat, and beautiful shells,
which are made into
decorative tortoiseshell
items. Fewer than 25,000
nesting females likely
remain. Some conservation-
ists have placed GPS tags
on the 150-pound reptiles
to gain insight into their
mysterious underwater
lives. The hawksbill above
was photographed
at the Australia Zoo
Wildlife Hospital.
antfer
(Antfer)
#1