ANIMALS (^) | OPTIMIST’S GUIDE
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Sumatran rhinoceros
Poaching and human
en croach ment have left fewer
than 80 Sumatran rhinos in
the world—a drop of more
than 70 percent compared
with 20 years ago. To stave
off extinction, conservation
groups, including the National
Geographic Society, stepped
in to relocate rhinos into sanc-
tuaries and monitor the last
wild rhinos in Indonesia. Births
in captivity have brought hope
that more breeding programs
can save the species.
CRITICALLY ENDANGERED
Cotton-top tamarin
This tiny, long-haired mon-
key lives only in the tropical
forests of Colombia, where
agriculture and urban growth
have led to a significant pop-
ulation drop in the past few
decades. Proyecto Titi strives
to reverse this: From 2011 to
2018, the organization, which
is supported by the Disney
Conservation Fund, protected
nearly 14,000 acres of the
monkey’s habitat, launched
education programs, and
opened new reserves and
field sites to build up the
population. (The Walt Disney
Company is majority owner of
National Geographic Partners.)
IN THE 1980S the number of giant pandas in China
hovered around 1,100. Now, after decades of focused
conservation, giant pandas have been crossed off the
endangered list. Habitat preservation, anti-poaching
efforts, and advances in captive-breeding programs
can offer a lifeline to the most endangered mem-
bers of the biosphere. In 2019 a total of 10 creatures
showed improved status on the list of threatened
species produced by the International Union for Con-
servation of Nature. Many more need help, including
these animals that conservationists are trying to pull
back from the brink. —NINA STROCHLIC
THE COMEBACK
CREATURES
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOEL SARTORE
A THREATENED
PHENOMENON
Monarch migration
The monarch butterfly’s
annual trip south is one of
nature’s most spectacular
winter events. Around 20
years ago the insects began
to decline, possibly from cli-
mate change and forest loss.
In 2014 Canada, Mexico, and
the U.S. formed a task force to
protect the butterfly’s migra-
tion route. It may be working:
In 2019 the monarchs’ num-
bers grew, and they were
found in 144 percent more
forest area than in 2018.
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