Top10: Endangered Species 2010

Man is the most kick-ass animal on the planet. Unlike all of the other species we managed to beat out the entire planet… but at what price? The WWF (World Wildlife Fund… not World Wrestling Federation) has listed the Top 10 Most Endangered to watch and we thought we’d pass this information on to you…. in our own special way

The Polar Bear

Hit hard with global warming and loss of habitat these bears have a limited time on Earth according to scientists. While the Polar bear is not the only animal in distress in the arctic, it has become the symbol of wildlife impacted by global warming. I have no idea what can be done at this point really. Let them migrate with the ice? Relocation? What do YOU think should be done?

The Tiger

Loss of habitat from human encroachment and “rampant poaching” have dwindled this magnificent creature’s habitat down to next to nothing. Further indications show that there has been additional loss of habitat due to environmental changes. I propose we make tiger hunting LEGAL. You heard me. Make it legal with the use of a pocket knife only and charge something like $35,000 per “Tiger Ticket” (hunting license). The money could be used to buy back and/or protect this animal’s shrinking habitat from big business. Yeah, it could work.

The Pacific Walrus

Walrus (-es? -si?) use floating ice to rest, birth and do the things needed for birth to be a possibility. The problem is that ice is melting away at a rapid rate. There is a very real danger that these animals might not have a place for any of these activities. While there is no SANE way to reverse global warming, these creatures and many other effected by climate change must be helped.

The Magellanic Penguin

While entertaining, the message of the movie Happy Feet may not be that far off. It’s not necessarily industrial fishing that has these fellas starving to death, but again, the change in the Earth’s climate. Penguins have had to swim much MUCH further from their nesting grounds to feed. The results have been lots of dead penguins and a decline in population. I think we should just give them some of our fish….

The Leatherback Turtle

These are some of the largest reptiles on the planet. Their nesting grounds are in danger and there is also the possibility that global warming could have an adverse affect on the future sex of turtles as well. Warmer climates mean more males being hatched reducing the mating level down to slightly above that of a college chess club gathering.

The Bluefin Tuna

Extensive fishing (overfishing) of these tuna have depleted their numbers drastically in the last few years. The “WWF is encouraging restaurants, chefs, retailers, and consumers to stop serving, buying, selling, and eating endangered bluefin tuna until this amazing species shows signs of recovery.” This does NOT mean eating dolphin instead is an okay thing.

The Giant Panda

While no one knows whether or not this species will ultimately be saved (no one knows for certain on ANY species) the Panda is a symbol for hope. Despite being endangered and it’s habitat slowly being whittled down to isolated pockets for its populace, the species has held on for some three decades and has even seen some minor increases. There are however only an estimated 2,500 in the wild. We all know I’m not a big fan of China, but the efforts made thus far have been pretty good by a government not known for sentimentality.

The Monarch Butterfly

How long have we been hearing about this one? Seems like decades. The Monarch conservation is unique as their wintering grounds in Mexico as well as their breeding grounds in the US and Can-land all have to be protected and developed for the species to survive. The WWF is very involved in the coordination of the efforts though and things seem like they are on the right path.

The Mountain Gorilla

There are only 720 Mountain Gorillas in the wild. To put that in perspective, take the number of people who liked The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus and multiply that by 3 and that tells you how endangered they are. This is due to poaching, civil wars in the area and habitat loss. My solution is to send them arms. Gorillas with MAC-10s could defend themselves… they have thumbs, let them use ‘em!

The Javan Rhinoceros

Less than 60 are thought to exist in the world. There are no jokes that can be made about this. A cold could kill off the entire species tomorrow. Conservation efforts have been underway since 1998, but there still is a long way to go. Poachers and loss of habitat have pushed this creature to the brink of extinction. They aren’t pretty, but they do deserve to exist.