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India is a diversified nation with numerous plant, animal, mammal, & reptile species. It is home to approximately 89 national parks, Eighteen bio-reserves, including 400 animal sanctuaries. The possibility of animals becoming endangered has grown as a result of an increase in numerous activities such as hunting & poaching. The government has made a number of steps to conserve wildlife.
Each year on third Friday of May, Endangered Species Day is commemorated. It is observed on May 20 this year. David Robinson and Endangered Species Coalition launched the day in 2006 with the goal of celebrating, educating, & taking action to conserve vulnerable and endangered species.
List of Endangered species are as follows:
1. The Bengal Tiger
Bengal’s tigers make up more than half of the world’s total tiger population, with India home to 70% of them. Despite the fact that this large cat is a versatile species that can live inside a variety of environments, including forests, mangroves, & wetlands, and therefore can survive in hot or cold weather, Bengal tiger numbers have declined over the years. Decades of relentless poaching because of its skin & body parts, sport hunting, & drastically decreased habitat due to urban growth, the species has become endangered. The species today occupies only 7% of its original range, with less than 2,000 individuals remaining in the wild. Human-animal conflict also plays a role in the diminishing numbers of wildlife inside a heavily packed nation like India.
2. Asian Lion
This Asiatic lion is 10-20% relatively smaller than the African counterparts, with a longer tail tuft and prominent belly fold. The Asiatic Lion, as the name implies, was formerly found from south-west Asia towards eastern India. However, the species’ entire population is currently limited to Gir National Park & surrounding areas in Gujarat. The Asiatic lion has been listed like a threatened animal even by International Union for the Protection of Nature (IUCN) until 2010. There are only around 500-650 animals remaining in the country. While the lion is primarily limited to the Gir Forest, most farmers continue to build crude & illegal electrical fencing to protect their crops, which lions frequently become entangled in.
3. The Snow Leopard
Snow leopards, such as the Asiatic Lion, used to inhabit considerably greater habitats & prowled over Asia’s mountain ranges. They are now only located in Ladakh, Himachal, Uttarakhand, as well as the western & eastern Himalayas, with only a population of around 500 in India. Unsurprisingly, this reduction is the consequence of human intervention, including animal hunting for its fur & body parts, in addition to a rapid decline in prey owing to increased domestic cattle, which depletes high altitude grazing grounds. Conflicts between distant populations & snow leopards, as well as hydropower & mining projects that diminish the leopard’s native habitat, have all posed a danger to the species.
4. Macaque lion-tailed
A lion-tailed macaque is a well-known monkey that lives in the tiny & badly fragmented rainforest of South India’s Western Ghats. It is distinguished by its own silver-white mane which surrounds the head. The overall wild population of macaques is estimated to be approximately 4,000 individuals, and it’s expected to drop by more than 20% over the next 25 years if problems such as hunting, roadkills, & habitat degradation remain. These uncommon primates are typically timid and prefer to stay in the higher canopies of the rainforest, which is rapidly disappearing owing to land clearing and deforestation. Clearance. The animal’s ready access with human food too is affecting its behaviour, causing it to spend fewer hours scavenging for sustenance.
5. Kashmiri Red Deer
For decades, the IUCN has categorised a Kashmiri red stag as a threatened species, as well as the Indian government has named it one of top 15 species with high preservation importance. As a consequence, the species is currently mostly limited to 141 square kilometres of Dachigam National Park. The population of red stags is believed to be approximately 5,000 with in early 1990s, but it has since dropped to around 150 by 1970, and about 110-130 in 2015. The major reasons of red stag population loss are ascribed to habitat fragmentation, ground invasion for grazing, as well as a relatively low fawn-female ratio. Many active conservation efforts in India are aiming to address these challenges in order to help conserve this severely endangered species.
Over the last 50 years, the world has seen a dramatic increase in human population, development, & urbanisation, deforesting tens of billions of acres of forest all along way. As such a result, wildlife is losing habitat & food on a daily basis. According to 2020 estimate, the sixth mass loss all wildlife of Earth is escalating, with over 500 terrestrial animal species on the verge of extinction & expected to just be lost in the coming 20 years. Because India is one of the world’s most densely populated countries, human activity & development of land are unexpectedly prevalent.
