Endangered species Animal Aid Network presents a tribute to rare and endangered animals worldwide. Worldwide Listings and Acts: CITES IUCN Red List South Africa Red Data Book Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969 (USA) African/Asian animals: Rhinoceros Elephant Hippopotamus Brenton Blue Aardvark Pangolin Marine mammals: Blue Whale Manatees and Dugongs Sea Otter Walrus Land Carnivores: Cheetah Leopard Clouded Leopard Snow Leopard Tiger Jaguar American Black Bear Aardwolf Wild dog Panda Apes: Mountain gorilla Chimpanzee Orang-utan General Organisations: World Wildlife Fund 1250 24th Str NW Washington DC 20037 IUCN CITES Other Websites: International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) CITES homepage WWF's top 10 most endangered EE-Link's Endangered Species of the U.S.A.

CITES

Appendix I Appendix II Appendix III

IUCN Red List

Each species on the Red List is given a rating according to specified criteria which are divided into three basic categories. The rating is represented as a series of letters, which correspond to those listed below. For example, the rating for the Blue Whale is "EN A1abd", which means "Endangered according to the sub-criteria 1a, 1b and 1d of criterion A" - i.e. "Population reduction in the form of an observed, estimated, inferred or suspected reduction of at least 80% over the last 10 years or three generations, whichever is the longer, based on (and specifying) the following:

1. direct observation
2. an index of abundance appropriate for the taxon and
3. actual or potential levels of exploitation. "

• Critically Endangered (CR)
  The species faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the immediate future as defined by criteria set out in a paper prepared by the IUCN Species Survival Commission. For the sake of easy reference, these criteria are reprinted below:
  "
  1. Population reduction in the form of either of the following:
     1. An observed, estimated, inferred or suspected reduction of at least 80% over the last 10 years or three generations, whichever is the longer, based on (and specifying) any of the following:
        1. direct observation
        2. an index of abundance appropriate for the taxon
        3. a decline in area of occupancy, extent of occurrence and/or quality of habitat
        4. actual or potential levels of exploitation
        5. the effects of introduced taxa, hybridisation, pathogens, pollutants, competitors or parasites.
     2. A reduction of at least 80%, projected or suspected to be met within the next ten years or three generations, whichever is the longer, based on (and specifying) any of (b), (c), (d) or (e) above.
  2. Extent of occurrence estimated to be less than 100 km2 or area of occupancy estimated to be less than 10 km2, and estimates indicating any two of the following:
     1. Severely fragmented or known to exist at only a single location.
     2. Continuing decline, observed, inferred or projected, in any of the following:
        1. extent of occurrence
        2. area of occupancy
        3. area, extent and/or quality of habitat
        4. number of locations or subpopulations
        5. number of mature individuals.
     3. Extreme fluctuations in any of the following:
        1. extent of occurrence
        2. area of occupancy
        3. number of locations or subpopulations
        4. number of mature individuals.
  3. Population estimated to number less than 250 mature individuals and either:
     1. An estimated continuing decline of at least 25% within 3 years or one generation, whichever is longer or
     2. A continuing decline, observed, projected, or inferred, in numbers of mature individuals and population structure in the form of either:
        1. severely fragmented (i.e. no subpopulation estimated to contain more than 50 mature individuals)
        2. all individuals are in a single subpopulation.
  4. Population estimated to number less than 50 mature individuals.
  5. Quantitative analysis showing the probability of extinction in the wild is at least 50% within 10 years or 3 generations, whichever is the longer. "

• Endangered (EN)
  The species is facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future, as defined by any of the following criteria (reprinted for reference):
  "
  1. Population reduction in the form of either of the following:
     1. An observed, estimated, inferred or suspected reduction of at least 50% over the last 10 years or three generations, whichever is the longer, based on (and specifying) any of the following:
        1. direct observation
        2. an index of abundance appropriate for the taxon
        3. a decline in area of occupancy, extent of occurrence and/or quality of habitat
        4. actual or potential levels of exploitation
        5. the effects of introduced taxa, hybridisation, pathogens, pollutants, competitors or parasites.
     2. A reduction of at least 50%, projected or suspected to be met within the next ten years or three generations, whichever is the longer, based on (and specifying) any of (b), (c), (d), or (e) above.
  2. Extent of occurrence estimated to be less than 5000 km2 or area of occupancy estimated to be less than 500 km2, and estimates indicating any two of the following:
     1. Severely fragmented or known to exist at no more than five locations.
     2. Continuing decline, inferred, observed or projected, in any of the following:
        1. extent of occurrence
        2. area of occupancy
        3. area, extent and/or quality of habitat
        4. number of locations or subpopulations
        5. number of mature individuals.
     3. Extreme fluctuations in any of the following:
        1. extent of occurrence
        2. area of occupancy
        3. number of locations or subpopulations
        4. number of mature individuals.
  3. Population estimated to number less than 2500 mature individuals and either:
     1. An estimated continuing decline of at least 20% within 5 years or 2 generations, whichever is longer, or
     2. A continuing decline, observed, projected, or inferred, in numbers of mature individuals and population structure in the form of either:
        1. severely fragmented (i.e. no subpopulation estimated to contain more than 250 mature individuals)
        2. all individuals are in a single subpopulation.
  4. Population estimated to number less than 250 mature individuals.
  5. Quantitative analysis showing the probability of extinction in the wild is at least 20% within 20 years or 5 generations, whichever is the longer. "

• Vulnerable (VU)
  The species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future, as defined by any of the following criteria (reprinted for reference):
  1. Population reduction in the form of either of the following:
     1. An observed, estimated, inferred or suspected reduction of at least 20% over the last 10 years or three generations, whichever is the longer,, based on (and specifying) any of the following:
        "
        1. direct observation
        2. an index of abundance appropriate for the taxon
        3. a decline in area of occupancy, extent of occurrence and/or quality of habitat
        4. actual or potential levels of exploitation
        5. the effects of introduced taxa, hybridisation, pathogens, pollutants, competitors or parasites.
     2. A reduction of at least 20%, projected or suspected to be met within the next ten years or three generations, whichever is the longer, based on (and specifying) any of (b), (c), (d) or (e) above.
  2. Extent of occurrence estimated to be less than 20,000 km2 or area of occupancy estimated to be less than 2000 km2, and estimates indicating any two of the following:
     1. Severely fragmented or known to exist at no more than ten locations.
     2. Continuing decline, inferred, observed or projected, in any of the following:
        1. extent of occurrence
        2. area of occupancy
        3. area, extent and/or quality of habitat
        4. number of locations or subpopulations
        5. number of mature individuals.
     3. Extreme fluctuations in any of the following:
        1. extent of occurrence
        2. area of occupancy
        3. number of locations or subpopulations
        4. number of mature individuals.
  3. Population estimated to number less than 10,000 mature individuals and either:
     1. An estimated continuing decline of at least 10% within 10 years or 3 generations, whichever is longer, or
     2. A continuing decline, observed, projected, or inferred, in numbers of mature individuals and population structure in the form of either:
        1. severely fragmented (i.e. no subpopulation estimated to contain more than 1000 mature individuals)
        2. all individuals are in a single subpopulation.
  4. Population very small or restricted in the form of either of the following:
     1. Population estimated to number less than 1000 mature individuals.
     2. Population is characterised by an acute restriction in its area of occupancy (typically less than 100 km2) or in the number of locations (typically less than 5). Such a taxon would thus be prone to the effects of human activities (or stochastic events whose impact is increased by human activities) within a very short period of time in an unforeseeable future, and is thus capable of becoming Critically Endangered or even Extinct in a very short period.
  5. Quantitative analysis showing the probability of extinction in the wild is at least 10% within 100 years. "

South African Red Data Book