The Lucky Animals That Are No Longer Going Extinct
We’re always hearing the bad side of extinction and about the many animals that are being added to the endangered list daily, but thanks to the efforts of many some of these species are lucky enough to have found themselves on this list. These animals that have been brought back from the brink of extinction, and their numbers are steadily growing. This list shares 26 animals that are making a comeback, a handful of which I’ll share below.
Let’s start with what may be the most important animal to our nation, the bald eagle. They landed on the near extinction list back in 1940 after having many of their habits destroyed due to expansion across the country. Pesticides were another reason for their near extinction as they started being used more regularly in 1910. However in the 1940s many manufacturers began producing large amount of synthetic pesticides. This time was known as the “pesticide era” and was without a doubt one of the contributing factors to the downfall of the bald eagle during this time. Thanks to new regulations on pesticides in the 1970s, this patriotic bird’s numbers began to rise until they were deemed “recovered” in 2007.
The next animal that has made a comeback is the loveable West Indian Manatee which reached a low of just 1,267 manatees left in 1989, mainly due to their habitat being destroyed and overrun with boats which would then hit and kill or maim the manatees. While their old habitats are still being used by people boating, thanks to new laws and educating these people their numbers have recovered enough to be removed from the list!
The West Virigina Northern Flying Squirrel even landed on the endangered list at one time. Back in 1985 there were only 10 of these squirrels left in the US! Their habitats were being destroyed to make room for expansion, and these little guys suffered the consequences. Thanks to a regeneration of their habitat, located in the Allegheny Highlands, their population recovered to at least 1,100 in 2013.
One of the biggest comebacks from the brink of extinction, in both size and numbers, is the Humpback Whale. There were only 1.600 left in the entire world back in the 1960s, which got them on the endangered list. While this decline was due in part to commercial hunting, many of these whales were killed just from being hit by vessels or even due to getting tangled in the fishing nets. Thanks to organisations like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) helping these tangled and injured whales, their numbers have increased greatly and there are currently 60,000 humpback whales in the world today.
While this article is considered to be “good news” don’t forget that there are still 1,000s of animals that are losing their population numbers and are on the brink of extinction. Learn more about what you can do to help, or even donate to organizations that are helping these animals.
Check out the other 22 animal species that made the list below! A full-sized version can be found here.
