Happy News Monday :)

worldanimalnews.com/breaking-a-new-study-states-that-wild-tiger-populations-in-key-tiger-recovery-areas-throughout-asia-could-triple-in-a-generation-following-the-lead-of-nepals-tiger-conservation-efforts/

It is being reported that within the next 20 years, we could see wild tiger populations triple in key areas so long as conservation efforts by the cooperating countries continues to be successful. This is amazing news when you consider that from the beginning of the 20th century, wild tiger populations have dropped by an alarming 95%. This is due almost entirely to human interference which includes habitat loss and poaching.

Wild tiger populations that are healthy represent a thriving biodiversity and indicate a positive step in the right direction. In 2010, wild tiger population dropped to an all time low of approximately 3,200 which prompted 13 tiger area countries to adapt the most ambitious conservation efforts to date, known as TX2. TX2's goal was to see the population of wild tigers double in these key areas by 2022 which experts are saying is extremely ambitious, but not unheard of if efforts made by these countries continue to be effective.

When you consider how many human beings there are on this enormous planet and think that there were only 3, 200 wild tigers, I can't think of anything more alarming. Big cats are crucial to an areas biodiversity keeping the balance between prey and natural habitat at bay. Without them, their prey would soon overrun the areas in which they inhabit because there would be nothing to stop them from doing so. Not to mention, this would lead to further habitat loss and eventually cause more animal species to go extinct. The circle of life is not some fictitious theory, it's a necessary part of all areas. 

Here's to hoping that these participating areas continue their hard work and we see wild tigers thrive once again in the wild. 

​worldanimalnews.com/breaking-fin-whales-conservation-efforts-must-continue/

In other great news, Fin Whales and Mountain gorillas have moved up on the IUCN red list meaning that conservation efforts are clearly working. Fin whales moved from endangered to vulnerable and mountain gorillas moved up from critically endangered to endangered on the updated list. 

Fin whales saw this increase in their numbers because of bans on whaling which has helped their population reach approximately 100, 000 mature adults. Thanks to a ban on whaling, these beautiful creatures that were once hunted for blubber, meat, and oil, have seen their population nearly double since the 1970's. With continued conservation efforts, we can hope to see them move off of the endangered species list entirely but it will take years and continued success with conservation.

In 2008, mountain gorilla populations were thought to be around 680 but it is estimated that they are now somewhere around 1, 000 which might seem insignificant, but indicates that conservation efforts are definitely working.

Mountain gorilla habitats are limited to two protected areas that are bordered by countries that are cultivating for an increased human population. This, on top of civil unrest, poaching, and the introduction of human disease, continue to put the mountain gorilla at risk.

The important thing to remember is that despite the increase in numbers, there is still so much work to do to see these creatures move off of the IUCN list entirely which will take many years of continued conservation to do. It is important to celebrate every victory especially when it comes to a species potentially going extinct. What we can hope is that with these continued efforts, we will see their numbers continue to grow steadily over the coming years.

Check out the original stories through the links provided throughout this post <3

HAPPY VEG