Endangered Animals

BY:JOYCE CHEONG YOONG ERN,TAN YING YING,TEH VIWEN

J:Hey guys,where do want to go during this weekend?
Y:Shopping !
J:Nahh
V:Hmm do you all want to go for a hiking at mount Gunung?
J:What a good idea!Lets go
The Next Day
Hiked for 2 hours and something happened…….
Y:Guys stop!I think I saw a white tiger
V:Man what are you guys waiting for?Lets run for our life!!!!!
J:Wait! That is not a white tiger but a Amur Leopard. Amur Leopard is found in the Russian Far East
and they are the only leopard subspecies adapted to survive in both extreme snowy and hot summer
climates. They are highly territorial and live alone but will live together when mating.They mainly
prey for roe , sika deers,hares,wild pigs and badger but sometimes they will hunt for young black
bears too! Amur Leopad is also known for its thick white or cream fur with large widely balck spots
called “rosettes”.However,Amur Leopard has been classified by International Union For
Conservation Of Nature (IUCN) as critically endangered with less than 70 individuals thought to exist
today.One of the main cause is their genetic diversity is low.This is because female Amur Leopards
start producing at three to fours of age and around 1 to 4 cubs is born around 12 weeks after
mating.Moreover,cubs will stay with their mothers for up to 2 years before braving the wild alone.

Y:Wow I could never think of that

V:Oh and Joyce is the other factor that cause Amur Leopard extinct is due to illegal wildlife trade?

J:Bingo!

Y:Wait wait wait slow down what is meant by illegal wildlife trade?

V:Illegal wildlife trade is meant to be a multibillion-dollar business involving the unlawful harvest of and
trade in live animals and plants or parts and products derived from them. Wildlife is traded as
skins,leather goods or souvenirs ;as food or traditional medicine;as pets, and in many other
forms.Joyce just have hinted us about the Amur Leopard fur and that is one of the main reasons that
they are highly being poached.In 1999,an undercover investigation team recovered a female and a
male leopard skin,which were being sold for 500-1000US which is approximate to RM 2000-RM
4000.Moreover,agriculture and villages surround the forests where the leopards live.As a
result,forests are relatively accessible,thus making a poach a problem but not only for leopard
themselves but also for important prey species such as roe deer , sika deer and hare.Is that correct
Joyce?

J: Yup and most of your information is similar with my statements.But the problem is how do we save
them?

Y:Well,we can take effective conservation measures such as Russian National Park and have
resulted the Amur Leopard population almost doubling from 30 in 2007 to 57 in 2015.Moreover,The
Amur Leopard and Tiger Alliance (ALTA) was set up by Russian and western conservation
organisations to conserve both the Amur leopard and Amur tiger. Working across Northeast Asia,
ALTA aims to co-ordinate conservation efforts of all relevant parties. Initiatives include presence of
anti-poaching teams, monitoring and tracking of populations, monitoring of fires and research into
firefighting techniques, production of plans that ensure land development considers Amur leopard
habitats, and increasing awareness and education.

V:Alright, lets move forward or else we we are gonna discuss until midnight.
Walking for 30 minutes,there is a mythical creature appear far from our eyesight……..

J:Wait guys did you see that goat liking animal??It’s looks so unique from other goats and it has
white dots on its face.I wonder what is it called?

Y:Ah that’s is called a saola,also known as Asian Unicorn.

V:A unicorn?So It can fly like we used to watch in those cartoons?That is so magical.Come on lets go
ride it!!!
J:Woah chill Viwen chill! It is named as Asian Unicorn but it does not meant it can fly! Do you see it
has any wings on it ?

V:Alright,you win you win come on ying ying I want to know more facts about it!

Y: Saola is a recently discovered species of large mammals. Scientific community heard

about saola for the first time in 1992. This unique-looking animal lives only in the forests
on the border of north-central Vietnam and Laos. Saola is also known as Asian unicorn
because it is rarely seen in the nature and people sometimes think of saola like it is an
imagined creature. Saola prefers life in dense forests that have good supply of running
water (near the riverbanks). Although not much is known about saola, it is listed as
critically endangered species due to accelerated habitat loss and hunt.
J:Oh and I heard Saola is one of few large animals in the region without a significant price
on its head.Moreover, Horns of saola are collected as a trophy while other parts of its
body serve as ingredients in folk medicine.Furthermore, Another reason for the loss of
these species is loss in habitat. Humans destroy the forests where saolas live and use them for
agriculture and other infrastructures. This either fragments the saola population or reduces the
size of their habitat. Fragmentation will also decrease genetic diversity and create issues like
inbreeding.Decrease in the size of habitat also makes the saolas more vulnerable in the sense
that they are in easy access to the hunters.
V:Oooo the cause is abit similar like the Amur Leopard.And a few days back I saw a poster which
says we can donate to WWF(world wide fund for nature) to help with protection and
conservation programs for the saolas.Furthermore, we can help by spreading the information
about the saolas to everyone and  stop buying coats made from the fur of wild animals and start
using synthetics.
Y:Yup you are right.Endangered animals are one of the most issues affecting the earth
today.Endangered animals are any species of animals that is at significant risk of extinction due
to the dramatic decline in its population and habitat destruction.The endangerment caused by
poaching,global warming,and human activities.
J: It is important remember to take care of the animals we have today, and their environment. We
humans are the main cause of extinction. Because of us, they lose their home just because we need
to make paper, or they die because we need food. Poachers also kill endangered animals or sell them
to people who have money and are willing to spend it on a rare or endangered animal.  
V:There are a lot of ways to help endangered animals today such as volunteering or donating to help
build animal homes.  If you want to learn more about extinct and endangered animals,
check out some of these organizations: Defenders of Wildlife, Wildlife Conservation Society, Wildlife
Alliance, African Wildlife Foundation, and the Animal Welfare Institute. They help endangered animals
by finding them a new home, taking care of them temporarily if they are hurt. Some are dedicated to
animals from a specific country.After all, animals are humans too!