General Information

Over time many animals have gone extinct or have come close to it and announced as an endangered species. Many species of animals have declined in numbers due to the hunting and poaching for parts or for trophies, or, a less direct method, the overtaking and destruction of their habitats and natural ways of life. Today and throughout history, it is adapt or die for these creatures. Below are a few of many endangered today.

Asian Elephants

The Asian Elephant is the largest land mammal in the world. They tend to travel in groups and are incredibly social creatures.Their existance, however, is being threatened. One of the main causes for their problems is the evergrowing develoupment in Asia. These develoupments take over areas that protected these elephants, and thus forced them to travel into unprotected areas. Another main issue for these beutiful mammals is hunting and poaching. Every year tens of thousands of these animals are killed for their tusks that are made of an expensive material known as ivory.

Javan Rhinos

Javan Rhinos are the most threatened species of rhino with less than one hundred of these animals left, those that are known of and found are protected in a Javan national park today. They are typically grey in color and have a single horn on the end of their snouts and can weigh up to five thousand pounds. Back in colonial times these rhinos were hunted as trophies or for their horn, which was a prized raw material used in Asian medicine. Even today the hunting and poaching of these animals remains one of the biggest threat against these animals.

Leatherback Sea Turtles

Leatherback Sea Turtles are named after their leather-like shells, which are not the typical hard type of shell most people associate with turtles. These are the largest known turtles of the sea turtle species. Over this last century, the number of these turtles have declined imensley, and they are extremley close to being considered an endangered species. What primarily effects their numbers today is the egg collection, and killing, of these turtles. In Southeast Asia egg collection is legal and leads to the removal of tens of thousands of eggs from their nests on known nesting beaches.

Tigers

Tigers are the largest of Asian big cats. These beautful felines rely on sight and sound rather than smell to hunt, and typically hunt alone. Tigers are currently an endangered species and a major cause of this is due to habitat loss. They have lost up to 95% of their known habitat, and due to the need for timber, as well as develoupments of new towns and roads, much of it has been destroyed or overrun. Another major cause for their decline in nummbers is, of course, due to illegal hunting and poaching of these animals, to sell their furs, and other such parts, to be used or kept as trophies.