Hobbies And Interests
Tigers
Several species of tigers are endangered, including the Indochinese tiger, the Bengal tiger, and the Siberian tiger. In fact, in the 1940s, only 40 Siberian tigers remained, putting the population in critical endangerment. The population did recover, however, and has since remained stable, though it is still endangered. Today, throughout the world, wild tigers are endangered and their population is lower than ever due to threats to their environment from the destruction of their natural habitat and hunting by humans.
Marine Turtles
Marine turtles are found in oceans and seas throughout the world. There are seven species of marine turtles, six of which are either endangered or critically endangered. Marine turtles face several threats to their well-being, including hunting from humans -- although trade in marine turtles is banned internationally -- who sell shells, capture turtles for pets, and even eat them. Despite the fact that marine turtles yield many offspring, few survive due to natural predators such as crabs, birds of prey, foxes and human egg harvesting.
Whales
Whales are another marine species that are threatened throughout the world. There are 13 great whale species in the world, seven of which are classified as either endangered or vulnerable despite international attempts at protection. Threats to the whale population including collisions with ships and from environmental contamination from commercial enterprises such as oil and gas exploration. Also, despite the 1986 treaty by the International Whaling Commission that banned whaling, the continued practice of commercial whaling by Japan, Norway and Iceland kills approximately 1500 whales each year, according to the World Wildlife Fund. The WWF further reports that "nearly 1,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises are killed every day as bycatch in fishing nets."
Dolphins
The dolphin population throughout the world faces similar threats to the whale population, including habitat degradation and collisions with ships and commercial fishing gear. Commercial fishing threatens dolphins, often by accident, since dolphins get caught in nets meant to catch tuna and other fish, but also sometimes as a "way of life" -- a subject covered in the 2009 documentary The Cove (see Resource 1). Climate change is another threat to dolphins, since it affects their sources of food. One of the most threatened dolphin is the Ganges River dolphin, with a remaining population of between 1200-1800. The Ganges River dolphin is under significant threat due to dam construction and irrigation projects in their natural habitat.
Gorillas
Gorilla populations in Africa and Asia are threatened. In fact, every single species of great ape is endangered: the bonobo, Bornean orangutan, Central chimpanzee, Cross River gorilla, Eastern Lowland gorilla, mountain gorilla, Sumatran orangutan, Western chimpanzee, and the Western Lowland gorilla. Threats to gorillas include climate change, poaching, and habitat loss due to human development projects and land seizure. Human hunting of gorillas is a major threat. Poachers hunt gorillas both for their meat and for trade, selling gorillas as pets.