Endangered Species Profiles
A. Gorilla.
1. Species distribution.
The single species of gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) is divided into three subspecies. The
subspecies G. g. gorilla is the western lowland gorilla found in Nigeria, Cameroon, parts
of the Central African Republic, mainland Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Conga, and the extreme
western tip of Zaire. The eastern lowland gorilla (G. g. graueri) is found in east-central
Zaire. The mountain gorilla (G. g. beringei) is restricted to the six extinct volcanoes of
the Virunga Range on the Zaire-Rwanda-Uganda border.
2. Reasons for endangerment.
Reasons for the gorillas' decline include habitat loss due to human encroachment
(mostly for agriculture) and poaching for their hands, heads, and meat.
3. Conservation efforts.
Gorillas are classified as endangered by the Endangered Species Act and are on Appendix
I of CITES. The eastern lowland gorilla and the mountain gorilla are listed as endangered
by the IUCN/World Conservation Union. The western lowland gorilla is listed as vulnerable
by the IUCN/World Conservation Union.
The western lowland gorilla is part of an SSP program with 50 participating
institutions, including Busch Gardens in Tampa. The gorilla SSP, the IUCN/World
Conservation Union's SSC Primate Specialist Groups, the AZA, and IUDZG have joined to
condemn any action which would increase demand for, and trade in, gorillas from Africa.
B. Asian elephant.
1. Species distribution.
The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) is found in isolated areas of India, continental
southeast Asia, the Malay Peninsula, Sri Lanka, Sumatra, Borneo, and the Andaman Islands
in the Bay of Bengal (off the coast of India). Depending on the geographic region,
elephants can be found in a variety of habitats, from wet evergreen forests to dry thorn
scrub.
2. Reasons for endangerment.
Probably less than 50,000 Asian elephants survive in the wild, plus approximately
15,000 in captivity. Because of their smaller tusk size, poaching of Asian elephants for
ivory is not as prevalent as is poaching of African elephants. The decline of the Asian
elephant has been mainly due to habitat loss and fragmentation. Ironically, domesticated
elephants are used to clear their own native habitat for human agriculture. Increasing
human population growth and decreasing elephant habitat has led to a tragic conflict
between humans and elephants over space and resources.
3. Conservation efforts.
Asian elephants are currently listed as endangered by the Endangered Species Act and
the IUCN/World Conservation Union. They're also listed on Appendix I of CITES. The Asian
elephant SSP currently has 50 participating institutions, including Busch Gardens in
Tampa, and the species has successfully reproduced in captivity.
C. Black rhinoceros
1. Species distribution.
The black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) was originally found in eastern and southern
Africa and ranged as far north as Sudan and as far west as Nigeria. The black rhino's
range continues to be rapidly reduced.
2. Reasons for endangerment.
About 90% of rhino deaths occur due to poaching for the rhino's horn. The horn is used
to make dagger handles in North Uemen and to make traditional oriental medicines. In many
Asian markets rhino horn sells for $16,535 to $22,046 per kilogram ($7,500-$10,000 per
pound), well above the price of gold. The demand for rhino horn has grown so great that
many antique rhino horn carvings are now ground and sold for medicinal purposes.
Black rhino populations are being reduced at an alarming rate. In 1980, there were
fewer than 15,000 animals-a reduction of over 50,000 animals in just 10 years. Today
experts estimate the wild population at less than 2,400. There are approximately 200 black
rhinos in zoological institutions.
3. Conservation efforts.
The black rhino is listed as endangered y the IUCN/World Conservation Union and the
Endangered Species Act and is on Appendix I of CITES. With the dramatic reduction of the
black rhino population in Zimbabwe, wildlife officials are now removing the black rhinos'
horns. The IUCN/World Conservation Union and the WWF, along with other agencies, are
preparing a conservation plan which emphasizes saving the remaining wild population and
halting trade in rhino horn
D. Amazon river dolphin.
1. Species distribution.
- The Amazon river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) is found in the world's largest river
ecosystem, the vast Amazon and Orinoco basins. Experts recognize two subspecies, I.
geoffrensis geoffrensis in the Amazon and Orinoco basins of South America and I.
geoffreniss boliviensis in the upper Maderia river system of Bolivia.
2. Reasons for endangerment.
- Scientists are concerned about the river dolphin because of ever-increasing
environmental deterioration. Though some deliberate hunting of dolphins exists, the
greatest direct threat to dolphins is accidental drowning in gill nets. Of equal
importance are the indirect threats to their food supply, including overfishing,
deforesting of the river-edge, agricultural polluting, paper milling and mining, and
hydroelectric dam building. Hydroelectric dams reduce the number of fish species and
isolate populations of dolphins.
- 3. The Amazon river dolphin is currently listed as vulnerable by the IUCN/World
Conservation Union, and is on Appendix II of CITES.
E. Hawaiian monk seal.
1. Species distribution.
- The Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi), believed to have once occurred
throughout the Hawaiian islands, is now largely restricted to the small, rocky islands of
northwest of Hawaii. The five major breeding sites are Kure Atoll, pearl and Hermes Reef,
Lisianski Island, Laysan Island, and the French Frigate Shoals. They're also found on the
Midway Islands, Maro Reef, Gardner Pinnacles, Necker Island, and Nihoa Island.
2. Reasons for endangerment.
NMFS estimates the monk seal populations to be slightly more than 1,000 individuals.
The last official count was taken in 1988. The decline of the population probably started
with the disturbance of breeding areas and predation by Polynesian settlers. Larger
numbers of seals were eliminated by commercial sealing operatins, and by 1824, the species
was considered extinct. Fortunately, individuals survived, but the population is still in
danger. Human (naval base) operations on remote islands have caused a loss of quiet
pupping beaches. Increased commercial fishing around monk seal-inhabited islands has led
to competition between seals and humans for food. Seals have been found entangled in
fishing nets, embedded with longline hooks, and possibly clubbed.
3. Conservation efforts.
The Hawaiian monk seal is classified as endangered by the Endangered Species Act, the
IUCN/World Conservation Union, and is on Appendix I of CITES. The NMFS has established a
recovery plan which includes the designation of critical monk seal habitat in ten areas of
the northwestern Hawaiian Islands, a "head-start" project for pups on Kure
Atoll, scheduled observations of breeding grounds, and stricter monitoring of interactions
between seals and fishermen.
- Two other species of monk seal are also endangered. The Caribbean monk seal (M.
tropicalis) which is probably extinct, and the Mediterranean monk eal (M. monachus) whose
population is less than 500.
F. Florida manatee.
1. Species distribution.
- The Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) is a subspecies of the West Indian
manatee (Trichechus manatus). The Florida manatee's primary range is the Florida
peninsula, but individuals can be found as far north as Virginia and as far west as
Louisiana during warm summer months.
2. Reasons for endangerment.
- The estimated population for the Florida manatee in 1992 indicated there may be as few
as 2,000 animals. Tragically, manatee deaths are increasing each year. Since 1976, total
deaths have risen an average of 5.3% each year. The majority of human-related deaths are
caused by collisions with boats; boat divers can't see the camouflaged, slow-moving
manatees to avoid accidents. Prenatal deaths (i.e. stillborn and newborn calves) are also
quite high. The exact cause of these deaths isn't known. Other causes of death include
disease and parasitism, exposure to cold weather, crushing in flood control structures and
navigational locks, shooting by humans, and entanglement in fishing line and ropes.
3. Conservation efforts.
- Florida manatees are listed as endangered by the Endangered Species Act, vulnerable by
the IUCN/World Conservation Union, and on Appendix I of CITES. They're also protected
under the MMPA and the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act.
- In most Florida counties manatees are also protected by boat speed laws and no-boat
zones. Several institutions (permitted by the USFWS), including Sea world of Florida, are
involved in the rescue and rehabilitation of injured or sick manatees.
G. Black-footed ferret.
1. Species distribution.
- The shy, nocturnal black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) was once found throughout the
Great Plains from Texas to Saskatchewan, Canada. Today, the only known wild population of
ferrets can be found in Wyoming's Shirley Basin.
2. Reasons for endangerment.
In 1920, ferret numbers were estimated at 500,000. Their rapid decline resulted from
human extermination of prairie dogs, their natural food source. The ferret was officially
listed as an endangered species in 1967. By the 1970s there were fears that the ferret was
extinct; however, in 1981, a ferret population estimated to contain 129 individuals found
near Meeteetse, Wyoming. In 1985 the population drastically declined due to a prairie dog
plague and canine distemper. By 1987, the surviving 18 ferrets were brought into captivity
for a breeding program.
3. Conservation efforts.
- The successful captive breeding program enabled 49 individuals, from a captive stock of
approximately 300 ferrets, to be released in Shirley Basin, Wyoming in 1991. The
reintroduction was successful: seven ferrets survived to the summer of 1992, and two had
litters. Eighty more ferrets were released in the fall of 1992.
- The black-footed ferret is classified as endangered by the Endangered Species Act, the
IUCN/World Conservation Union, and is on Appendix I of CITES.
H. Brown pelican.
1. Species distribution.
- The brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) is a marine bird that inhabits temperate and
tropical coastal regions of North, Central , and South America. The species is divided
into a number of subspecies, depending upon the region where they're found.
2. Reasons for endangerment.
- In California during the 1960s, researchers began to notice a decline in the pelican
population. A 1971-1975 survey revealed a declining population in the only remaining
nesting colony of brown pelicans, located on Anacapa Island, California. The failure was
due to the collapse of thin-shelled eggs during incubation. Thin-shelled eggs were
attributed to the effects of agricultural pesticides, such as
dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), in breeding adults. These long-lasting pesticides
accumulated first in invertebrates and fishes, then in their predators.
3. Conservation efforts.
- The brown pelican is listed as endangered by the Endangered Species Act over its entire
range except for the U.S. Atlantic coast, Florida, and Alabama. As of 1971, the use of DDT
for garden and household use was banned in California. The Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) has banned most uses of DDT in the U.S. since 1972.
I. California condor.
1. Species distribution.
- The California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) once ranged throughout the coastal
regions of North America, from British Columbia to Baja California, and from Florida to
New York. By the 1800s the condors were restricted to the Pacific coast. Today they live
only in the Sespe Condor Sanctuary in Southern California, the Los Angeles Zoo, and the
San Diego Wild Animal Park.
2. Reasons for endangerment.
- California condors used to number in the thousands. By 1939 their numbers were estimated
to be under 100, and by 1982 only 21 to 24 birds remained in the wild. Reasons for their
decline include habitat loss, poaching, a low reproductive rate, electrocution by
high-voltage wires, and poisoning by eating animal carcasses that contained lead.
3. Conservation efforts.
- In 1981, the California Department of Fish and Game permitted the San Diego Zoological
Society and the Los Angeles Zoo to breed condors. Chicks and eggs were first collected for
the program, but due to continued threats to adults in the wild, all birds were captured
by 1987. The breeding program has been successful, with over 50 birds now in captivity.
Eight birds have been reintroduced into the Sespe Condor Sanctuary and future releases are
being planned.
The California condor is listed as endangered by the Endangered Species Act, the
IUCN/World Conservation Union, and Appendix 1 of CITES.
J. Humboldt penguin.
1. Species distribution.
- The Humboldt, or Peruvian, penguin ( Spheniscus humboldti) is found along the west coast
and nearby islands of Chile and Peru.
2. Reasons for endangerment.
- Human activity and its effects on the Humbolt penguin's nesting behavior contributed to
the decline of the species. Since the 1850s, the nesting habitat of the Humbolt penguin
has been destroyed because of quano harvesting for fertilizer. In the early 1960s the
penguin population was estimated at 50,000. Today there are an estimated 5,000 to 6,000
breeding pairs in the wild, and 900 individuals in zoos and aquariums. Other contributing
factors to the birds' decline are decreases in their food source (mainly anchovies) from
overfishing, incidental captures in fishing nets, and petroleum pollution.
3. Conservation efforts.
- Humboldts are listed on Appendix 1 of CITES and classified as "Insufficiently
Known" by the IUCN/World Conservation Union. A Species Survival Plan has been
established for Humboldt penguins, and Sea World of California is considered a
"Participating Institution."
K. Kemp's ridley sea turtle.
1. Species distribution.
- The Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) is found throughout temperate and
subtropical regions of the Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic. It nests only in the Gulf of
Mexico region, particularly the southern coast of Tamaulipas, Mexico, near Rancho Nuevo.
2. Reasons for endangerment.
- The Kemp's ridley sea turtle is the most endangered species of sea turtle. Its
population has fallen from an estimated 40,000 nesting females in 1947 to a population
(averaged over the past 13 years) of slightly over 500 nesting females. Female Kemp's
ridley sea turtles nest only once every two to three years. Since 1978, the number of
nests have declined at a rate of about 14 nests per year.
The most significant impacts on the turtles in earlier years were the taking of eggs,
the slaughter of nesting females, and fishing for juveniles and adults. The major impacts
on Kemp's ridley sea turtles today are incidental captures in commercial fishing nets,
seines, and trawlers; waste products from oil operations; and ingestion of garbage
-especially plastics.
3. Conservation efforts.
- Since 1966, egg exploitation has been controlled, and in 1973 the Mexican government
passed a complete ban on the fishing of Kemp's ridley, hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata),
and leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) sea turtles in Mexican territorial waters.
Presently, the capture of the Kemp's ridley is prohibited throughout its geographic range.
- The Kemp's ridley sea turtle has been listed as endangered by the United States
Department of the Interior (USDI) since 1970. It's also listed as endangered by the
IUCN/World conservation Union, the Endangered Species Act, and Appendix I of CITES. The
Kemp's ridley recovery plan includes:
- regulations requiring U.S. commercial shrimpers to use Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) on
fishing nets. TEDs allow sea turtles to escape fishing nets to avoid drowning.
- the protection of nesting beaches
- continued turtle research
- Currently, Sea World of Texas in San Antonio assists the U.S. government in caring for
and providing a breeding facility for some of these turtles.
L. Chinook salmon.
1. Species distribution.
- Chinook, or king, salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) are found seasonally in various
rivers along the Pacific coast of the United States and Canada. Salmon are anadromus,
fishes that spend their adult lives at sea (in this case the Pacific Ocean), but return to
fresh water to spawn (release eggs and sperm). They mature to adults in the ocean and
return to their stream of origin to spawn.
2. Reasons for endangerment.
- The greatest impacts on chinook salmon populations are water management projects, such
as hydroelectric dams. These projects alter water flow and hinder migration of both adults
and juveniles. Pooling of water below dams or diversion of water for human purposes often
make traditional spawning grounds no longer suitable and provide habitat for a number of
non-traditional predators. Other factors that have contributed to the salmon's decline are
poor water quality due to near-shore human activities, overfishing, inadequate
regulations, and "genetic weakening" due to introductions of hatchery-raised
salmon.
3. Conservation efforts.
- Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), populations of chinook salmon are considered
separate "species" if they're reproductively isolated from other populations.
Chinook salmon are divided into a number of distinct populations, three of which are
listed as threatened by the USDI. Those listed include the Sacramento River winter-run
chinook salmon, the Snake River fall chinook salmon, and the Snake River spring/summer
chinook salmon. The 10-point Winter-Run Restoration Plan for the Sacramento River
regulates water flow from the Red Bluff Dam, fishing activities, and pollution.
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- Appendix A: List of Acronyms
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