Image by : flickr.com/photos/koulang/3367418378/[/caption]It is sad to look at these creatures knowing that they are the last survivors of their kind. We should honor these last few survivors as, for many, there is no comeback from extinction. These animals are the last members of their species:
1.World’s Last Remaining Female Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle
The Yangtze giant softshell turtle (Scientifically termed 'Rafetusswinhoei') is a softshell turtle that lives in China and Vietnam. It is sometimes also referred to as the Red river giant softshell turtle and it is an extremely rare species. Just four of these turtles are known to exist: three male and one female, all in captivity. In a zoo of China, two of the turtles, a male and a female are located. When the zoo officials attempted to bring the turtles together hoping that they will mate, they were not able to produce any viable egg. As this is the last chance the scientists have to save this species, the stakes are incredibly high.
The pair would not breed without an intervention and thus the belief that the pair would mate and lay eggs has slowly faded.
2 Lolita whale
[caption id="attachment_419" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
Image credit: Ines Hegedus-Garcia/Flickr[/caption]Lolita has lived in captivity for 44 years in the Miami Seaquarium. Lolita and the others from her pod were rounded up and captured when she was just four years old. She has been in captivity for a very long time so she may have issues with socialization and may now be completely dependent on humans for feeding. Her wild relatives, were given the endangered species protection by the US government. She has been spending her life in a 35-foot water filled tank ever since. What reportedly violates the US Animal Welfare Act is that the tank is said to be 13 feet smaller than the legal requirement for a whale the size of Lolita.
From the year 2011 a legal team began helping Lolita in hopes to set her free to where she had been caught.
3. Sumatran rhino
[caption id="attachment_420" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
Image credit: Shawn S/Flickr[/caption]The Sumatran rhinoceros is a remarkable and amazing large animal. It has a reddish-brown fur and because of that longer fur it got the name 'hairy rhino'. As it has two horns, it is similar to the native African white and black rhino. With the exception of Indonesia, the Sumatran rhino is now extinct in the wild. It has even gone extinct in Malaysia, its primary homeland. Despite the numerous protective measures and immense efforts to keep them alive , this species of rhinos are endangered and inclined to go extinct. Not just Sumatran rhinos but all rhino species may become extinct altogether in the wild.
The only one that took birth in America has left the United States and will be sent to Indonesia so that it can mate. Let us hope for a miracle.
4. Lonesome George
[caption id="attachment_421" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
Image credit: Chris Nower /Flickr[/caption]An aged male turtle named Lonesome George was the only survivor of his species of turtle. Since there was virtually no hope of finding another specimen, his subspecies declined into extinction. After the several failed attempts to try and breed him with another similar turtle species and create a subspecies, his partner, Pinta Island turtle from the Galapagos sadly died. Hundred year old Lonesome George at least had a chance to survive, but it was a long and solitary on . This giant lonesome turtle, the only one of its species, sadly died in the end. We live in a world where hundreds of species are thrown into extinction every day, and Lonesome George’s death serves as a reminder to that.
So it is very important to protect the flora and fauna, because we people are greatly dependant on nature.
5.A male Mangarahara cichlid
[caption id="attachment_422" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
Image credit: Caz Lock/ Flickr[/caption]This rare Madagascar cichlid's future is very questionable because its habitat has been destroyed by people. Due to that, in the whole world all that remain are just 3 of these fish, but the worst part is that they are all male. Because it is bound to go extinct in nature, scientists were fighting to prevent this cichlid species from vanishing. They made calls to hobbyists, private owners, and fish collectors to inquire if somebody had a female cichlid fish.
After a few months, finally, they found a female and put her into an aquarium together with the male. The chances are small but they at least have a chance now.
6.Asha the elephant
[caption id="attachment_423" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
Image credit: kuromimi64/ Flickr[/caption]The elephant Asha is without any companionship from another elephant and has spent her life in captivity. Elephants, like orcas, are incredibly social and intelligent. She is the only elephant at her zoo, and we know that elephants are born in herds and require a companionship from the other elephants. In captivity elephants commonly show abnormal behaviors, for example the bobbing and random swaying of the head. This is a sign that the elephant suffers from anxiety and stress. Asha has been through enough and she deserves to spend the rest of her life in a wildlife sanctuary.
There she can recover, walking freely with the other members of a herd. For now she remains in captivity because the staff doesn't want to let her go.
7. Toughie the Rabb's Fringe Limbed Treefrog
[caption id="attachment_336" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
Image credit: Brian Gratwicke[/caption]After appearance of a dangerous fungus in Panama, most of Toughie's relatives died. Even though the research team saved as many tadpoles and frogs as they could, some of them didn't develop into frogs, and the rest were dead from the environmental consequences. While visiting Panama in 2005, the species was identified by Joseph Mendelson, a staff member of Atlanta's Zoo. He took with him the deceased frog to help study the species. Toughie is the only survivor. From 2007 it is believed the Rabbs’ fringe-limbed tree frogs are extinct and have not been observed in the wild ever since.
Toughie is the only one left. He must be the loneliest frog on Earth. The Atlanta Zoo is the leader in an effort to combat the crisis of the global amphibian decline.
No comments:
Post a Comment