National Endangered Species Day 2023: Indian Pangolin to Indian Wild Dog, 6 endangered species of India

On National Endangered Species Day 2023, we shed light on the endangered species of our country. (All images/ iStock)

Updated On: 2023-05-19 10:37 AM IST

Compiled by : Athulya Nambiar

Endangered species

Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) - 

Over the last 30 years, the world's tiger popular has seen a 50 percent decline. But since 2015 there has been a 40 percent increase compared to prior years due to better monitoring and counting. It is easier to count Bengal Tigers as it has its own distinct striped pattern. No two Bengal tiger are alike. The Bengal Tigers are spotted in the Sundarbans, a resoure-abundant, diverse mangroove forest in Bangladesh. Due to poaching and habitate fragmentation, the Royal tiger's existence in threatened. They are also illegally hinted for their skin and bones

Indian Wild Dog (Cuon alpinus)

The Indian Wild Dog or the dhole is usually found in the forested areas in alpine zones of India, Myanmar, Indochina, Indonesia and China. It is occasionally sighted in plain regions. Fewer than 3000 adults left in the wild, India perhaps sustains the highest number of dholes, which are widely distributed in three major landscapes- Western Ghats, Central India and Northeast India.

They are under threat as they used to be persecuted throughout India for bounties until they were given protection by the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. Methods used for dhole hunting included poisoning, snaring, shooting and clubbing at den sites. Dholes were primarily killed in Indian to protect livestock

 

 

 

Indian Pangolin

The Indian Pangolin or the scaly anteater is a slow-moving, nocturnal mammal.  The pangolin possesses a cone-shaped head with small, dark eyes, and a long muzzle with a nose pad similar in color, or darker than, its pinkish-brown skin. It is usually spotted in grasslands and secondary forests, and is well adapted to dry areas and desert regions, but prefers more barren, hilly regions.

They face threat because of the poaching for its meat and scales, which are used and consumed by local people, but are also increasingly traded internationally. The Indian pangolin is listed on CITES Appendix I since January 2017 and is protected in all range countries

Nilgiri Tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius)

They are native to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western and Eastern Ghats in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in southern India. It is the state animal of Tamil Nadu.

As few as 100 Nilgiri tahrs were left in the wild by the end of 20th century. However, there has been a considerable increase in their number ever since.  In a comprehensive study of the Nilgiri tahr population in Western Ghats, the WWF-India has put the population at 3,122

Nilgiri Langur (Trachypithecus johnii)

As its name suggests, the Nilgiri langur is found in the Nilgiri Hills of the Western Ghats in South India. Its range also includes Kodagu in Karnataka, Kodayar Hills in Tamil Nadu, and many other hilly areas in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The species is classified as vulnerable due to habitat destruction and poaching for its fur and flesh, the latter believed to have aphrodisiac properties

Lion-tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus)

The lion-tailed macaques are seen in the wild only in India. They live in the Western Ghats hills and mountains of southwestern India, where they live in tropical rainforests and on elevated mountainsides. With less than 2,500 individuals remaining in the wild and about 400 more in zoos, the lion-tailed Macaque is one of the most Endangered species in the world today

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