‘Extinction crisis’: one-fourth of Earth’s wild mammals at risk

A survey released Monday by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) revealed that a quarter of the planet’s nearly 5,500 wild mammals are endangered or threatened with extinction. Read more in Kenneth Weiss’s story filed recently from Barcelona, “One-fourth of wild mammal species may face extinction.”

I include below a few of the mammals on IUCN’s “Red List of Threatened Species.” By mentioning this in a travel blog, my intention is not to suggest that we should all hurry for an up-close gander at these animals in their likely ecologically fragile abodes before they disappear (though there are certainly wildlife-tour operators who conduct their tours sensitively and responsibly).

Rather, as conscientious travelers, I believe we should continue to be aware of the challenges faced by the natural world — which, aside from affecting the whole world, will be altered for the worse if its residents’ rates of disappearance accelerate.

[Credit for photo above: A male Indri lemur feeds on leaves at a nature reserve in Andasibe, Madagascar, in September. Roberto Schmidt / AFP/Getty Images]

We can take steps, big and small, to be more responsible both on our journeys and at home, whether we choose to donate to conservation programs, choose eco-tours and other sustainable-travel options, avoid eating non-sustainable seafood, avoid buying coral souvenirs, and so on. Here are some tangible examples:

Black-footed ferret
Where: Prairies of South Dakota and Wyoming
Status: Endangered
What you can do: Adopt one. For $25, you’ll get a certificate of adoption, a photo and more of your furry little adoptee, and your donation will go toward recovery efforts.

Squaretail coral grouper
Where: Coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific
Status: Vulnerable
What you can do: Don’t eat it. This fish, which can’t be farmed, is a luxe food in China and in Chinese communities internationally; it’s disappearing fast from the wild.

[Photo credit John E. Randall / IUCN.org]

Iberian lynx
Where: Spain and Portugal
Status: Critically endangered
What you can do: Be informed; spread awareness; donate to conservation efforts. This article from the BBC, “How the EU saves, and kills, the lynx,” explores the complicated issue of this wild cat dangerously close to extinction (interestingly, in this story, a lush golf course and tourist complex near a lynx habitat does not seem to be the culprit).

[Photo: Roberto Schmidt / AFP/Getty Images]

Do you have other tips for travelers concerned about endangered wildlife? What can we do to be more conscientious on our travels and/or to help recovery efforts? Please share in the Comments.

— Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at 11:32 am by Susan Derby and is filed under Eco-Travel, Global, News, Tips & Advice, Outdoors & Adventure. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.