The Mountain Gorilla

The Mountain gorilla, who's scientific name is "Gorilla Beringae", is an herbivorous mammal, which weighs 400 lbs as a male and 215 lbs as a female.

Mountain gorillas are found mainly in Central and East African countries, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Rwanda. Less than 900 mountain gorillas are remaining today due to deforestation and the growth of population. Mountain gorillas are becoming extinct because they are forced to leave their natural habitat, and they often get caught in the middle of political wars. Over the past 14 years, mountain gorillas have been highly affected due to small wars happening in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Animals can be of great benefit to humans if they are well taken care of, as they provide resources to the government. In Rwanda, for example, Gorilla Trekking costs approximately between $750 and $1300. The fact that Rwanda realizes how to make profits through tourism encourages the protection of this animal.

Endangered Amur Leopard

The Amur leopard is one of the most critically endangered big cats in the world. There are only 35 remaining in the wild. This leopard is well adapted to living in harsh cold weather, opposed to other leopards who live in a jungle or desert atmosphere. They are carnivores that are predominately active during the night, as they often hunt for their meals at night. Like many other big cats, they are skilful hunters who stalk their prey. They are environmentally important because they hunt certain species that may overpopulate the area.

The Amur leopard is on the brink of extinction because of its many threats. They are being hunted for their beautiful spotted fur; often seen on clothing items and decorations, such as rugs.  Their bones are also used in traditional Chinese medicine, which is questionable because there are statements saying that there are no medicinal values whatsoever. Since they hunt for prey, like deer and hare, it puts them in competition with villagers who hunt the same animals. This results in the leopard having to hunt for a farmer's stock of animals. This causes problems because most farmers will protect their animals, and if they caught an Amur leopard in the middle of the act, it will most likely be killed. Wildfires also play a role for their endangerment because of the annual wildfires in the region.

The World Wildlife Federation is currently working with local communities and government and non-government authorities to save the Amur Leopard. Since the population of the leopard is so scarce, the WWF is supporting anti-poaching work with regions like the Russian Far East, northern China, and non-governmental organizations such as the Tigris Foundation

Endangered Black Rhinos

The Black Rhino is listed as #2 on the list of endangered species on the World Wildlife website under critically endangered. They inhabit various desert, savanna areas in Namibia, Africa, to wet, forest land in Kenya, Africa. The Black Rhino is an herbivorous mammal, typically eating bushes and branches. They can go without water for around 5 days in cold temperatures, and must drink water daily in hotter weather. They have bad eye sight, but good hearing and smell. The males tend to travel by themselves and the females travel with their young.

The biggest reasons and causes for the endangerment of the black rhinos are due to poachers and land clearances. The reason rhinos, in general, are being hunted is mainly because of their horn. Since the black rhino has two horns, it makes them even more desirable to capture. People seem to believe that a rhinoceros' horn contains medical and magical values; it is rumored that the rhino horn is used to cure high fevers and cancer. However, some people drink the rhinoceros horn because it is said to cure hangovers. City expansion plays a big role in some cases because they are mowing down the Black Rhino's natural habitat.

Currently the World Wildlife Federation is monitoring and protecting the black rhino; the way they are doing this is by having anti-poaching patrols and better equipped conservation law enforcement officers to protect them in their natural habitat. People are also creating well-protected rhino sanctuaries.


References:
Dell'Amore, C. (2013, December 16). 20,000 Species Are Near Extinction: Is it Time to Rethink How We Decide What to Save? Retrieved March 11, 2015, from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/12/131216-conservation-environment-animals-science-endangered-species/

Kloor, K. (2013, March 14). Maybe Extinction Isn't Forever. Is That a Good Thing? - Collide-a-Scape. Retrieved March 11, 2015, from http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/collideascape/2013/03/14/maybe-extinction-isnt-forever-is-that-a-good-thing/#.VP_PxPnF9n0

The world's most endangered apes. (2012, August 8). Retrieved March 11, 2015, from http://rainforests.mongabay.com/endangered/charts/mammals-apes.html

DNews: How the Endangered Species Act Looks Out for Animals : DNews. (2015, January 9). Retrieved March 11, 2015, from http://news.discovery.com/animals/videos/how-the-endangered-species-act-looks-out-for-animals-video-150109.htm

African Wildlife Foundation,(n.d) Mountain gorilla, from
http://www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/mountain-gorilla

Rwanda Safaris Guide,(n.d) Rwanda Gorilla, Trekking in Rwanda, Price and Cost, from
http://www.rwandasafarisguide.com/