The precarious nature of endangered speciesHow do governments and science organisations help to maintain biodiversity and limit the extinction of species? Crikey intern Laura Griffin examines the latest in biodiversity news.
Endangered species
The clock is ticking for endangered Aussie mammals
A number Australian mammals such as the northern brown bandicoot are expected to become extinct by 2030, according to a new report that cites various factors contributing to their decline including fires and cane toads.
Save the ugly animals!
Scientists aren’t always logical when it comes to researching endangered animals, with far more studies on cute animals like meerkats than on endangered but less attractive species.
How to clean oil-covered birds
Celebrities and do-gooders rushing off to “help” clean birds covered in oil after the recent Gulf of Mexico spill will probably do more harm than good. Doing it properly is slightly more complicated than “rinse, lather, repeat”.
Filet-O-Fish facing extinction?
McDonald’s goes through almost 7000 tonnes of New Zealand Hoki fish a year to make its Filet-O-Fish burger. But the species’ numbers are dwindling, declining nearly nearly two-thirds over the last decade.
must read 
The world’s worst wildlife dealer exposed
A National Geographic expose on Anson Wong — the world’s most notorious smuggler of endangered species. Authorities spent decades bringing him to justice, so why is he now a free man, still trading in wildlife and about to open his very own zoo?
The Koala AIDS epidemic
Koalas generate almost $1 billion for the Australian economy every year, but could be facing extinction due to a rising epidemic of Chlamydia and “Koala AIDS”, with the national koala population falling from 100,000 to fewer than 43,000 in the past six years.
The last lions in Kenya
Wild lions could be extinct in Kenya within 20 years, with 100 dying a year due to poisonings and habitat loss. Could the lion cubs of today be the country’s last?
Who’s eating Madagascar’s lemurs?
Madagascar’s lemurs are one of the area’s biggest tourist drawcards, but illegal loggers and starving locals are hunting the endangered primates for their meat, whilst corrupt police and politicians turn a blind eye.
Are we doing enough to save the bluefin tuna?
Fishing nations have agreed to cut the fishing of Bluefin tuna in the Atlantic by nearly 40% in 2010 — but is it enough to save the species from extinction? Not even close, according to some conservationists.
One in five mammals now face extinction
A fifth of the world’s mammals and a third of amphibians are now threatened with extinction, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s 2009 “Red List”. 800 Australian animal and plant species are now on the list.
Humans causing the “sixth extinction” of species
Australia, New Zealand and Pacific islands are likely to become the “extinction hot spots” of the globe, mainly thanks to the human destruction and degradation of ecosystems.
Malaysia’s tigers under attack
The Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (MyCat) — pause to admire acronym — is pushing for government to stop the illegal trade in tiger parts. It’s said there are now only 500 tigers in the wild in Malaysia.
Waiter, there’s an anteater fetus in my soup
The Pangolin — a type of anteater — is facing extinction in Indonesia, as the demand for Pangolin Fetus Soup, which is believed to increase a man’s virility, continues to rise. Warning: the pics are graphic.
Dodo might have made it if it’d been a looker
Like some sort of vicious teen girl club, the list of endangered animals worth saving is easier to get into if you’re attractive, writes David Fahrenthold.
Cute and endangered: Hawaiian Monk Seal
Likes: lazing under a tropical sun, eating fish, squid, and even lobster. Dislikes: continuing commercial development, disease, fishing nets, and global warming.
