Buzz
When you really think about it, humans excel in many areas. We can design bridges, create books, and discover captivating content on the web. However, one of our most unsettling achievements is the alarming rate at which we've driven countless plants and animals to extinction. While we have caused species to disappear, there are times we've managed to rescue a few from the edge of oblivion.
Although it’s not common, conservation efforts, breeding programs in captivity, and environmental protection laws have helped us save some animal species from extinction. Here are ten species that came dangerously close but were spared—at least for now.
10. Panamanian Golden Frog
These tiny, golden-hued toads are native to the mountain streams of West-Central Panama and are classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Over the years, they have faced numerous threats, including deforestation, excessive collection, water contamination, and habitat destruction. But their most deadly enemy isn’t human-related—it's the amphibian chytrid fungus disease, known as chytridiomycosis, which has ravaged amphibian populations across South and Central America, placing nearly a third of all amphibian species at grave risk.
The epidemic has become so severe that scientists have labeled it as “the worst infectious disease ever recorded among vertebrates in terms of the number of species affected.” As the Panamanian golden frogs began dying out in the wild starting in 2006, conservationists stepped in, rescuing them and placing them into specialized breeding programs that had been set up before the disease spread. While these toads may be gone from their natural environment for now, the ongoing success of these programs gives hope that one day, scientists may be able to reintroduce them to their native streams in Panama.
9. Bellinger River Snapping Turtle
The Bellinger River snapping turtle is native to a small, 60-kilometer stretch of the Bellinger River in New South Wales, Australia, where it was once abundant. However, its conservation status became at risk when humans introduced the European fox, a predator that preys on the turtle, and the Murray River turtle, which competes with it for food and breeding grounds. While these threats are significant, the primary factor pushing the Bellinger River snapping turtle towards extinction is an unknown disease that struck the population in 2015.
In just two months, an overwhelming number of the turtle population was decimated by an unidentified pathogen or toxin, resulting in a 100-percent mortality rate for those infected. With little time to act, scientists managed to save only 17 uninfected turtles from the Bellinger River. They even called on the public for assistance in locating unaffected individuals to rescue from their natural habitat. Thanks to state funding and the dedicated work of conservationists, the turtle has been saved, though further efforts are needed to establish large breeding populations in the wild to ensure their survival.
8. Golden Lion Tamarin
The golden lion tamarin, also known as the golden marmoset, is a small monkey species found in the Atlantic coastal forests of Brazil. Classified as endangered due to extensive habitat destruction, the remaining wild populations are confined to just three small regions of the Southeastern Brazilian rainforest. By 1981, their numbers had dwindled to a mere 200 individuals. However, thanks to conservation efforts initiated in the 1980s, the population has since risen to 3,200 and continues to grow.
The reintroduction of the golden marmoset into its native habitat is a rare success story in the world of conservation. Breeding programs in captivity helped boost the population to sustainable levels, which enabled the species to be returned not only to its original habitat but also to new locations within the Brazilian rainforest. Around one third of the current wild population originates from these captive breeding efforts, supported by over 150 zoos. Despite these gains, the species remains at risk. The loss of habitat has fragmented its range into just four areas, limiting genetic diversity.
7. Eastern Bongo
The bongo is the largest African antelope, with two distinct populations found in the western lowland and eastern mountain regions of Central and Western Africa. The western bongo is considered Near Threatened, while the eastern (or mountain) bongo is Critically Endangered in the wild. The population of the eastern bongo declined due to logging and poaching, and although conservation efforts in 2000 seemed to show promise, by 2013, human activity once again led to a dramatic reduction in their numbers.
With only 100 individuals remaining outside captivity, special breeding programs were established to help the mountain bongo recover from the brink of extinction. Currently, there are more mountain bongos in captivity than in the wild. While extinction has been delayed, further efforts are essential to ensure the survival and prosperity of those released back into their natural habitats.
6. California Condor
The California condor is one of the longest-living bird species on the planet, with an average lifespan of around 60 years. Despite its longevity, the species narrowly avoided extinction in 1987, when the last remaining individuals were captured in an attempt to save the population. At the time, only 27 individuals remained. However, thanks to the efforts of the San Diego Wild Animal Park and the Los Angeles Zoo, the California condor was successfully reintroduced into the wild by the mid-1990s.
The California condor faced threats such as lead poisoning, habitat loss, and poaching, but new laws and regulations have been enacted to safeguard the remaining population. The reintroduction of this bird is considered one of the greatest conservation successes. Despite remaining Critically Endangered, by 2016, there were 446 California condors living in the wild and in captivity, making it one of the rarest yet surviving bird species.
5. Arabian Oryx
The Arabian oryx, often referred to as the Arabian unicorn, was declared extinct in the wild by the early 1970s due to overhunting. Fortunately, small populations of the species survived in zoos around the world, prompting conservationists to launch Operation Oryx, a project aimed at breeding and reintroducing the oryx back into the wild. The Phoenix Zoo, in collaboration with the Fauna and Flora Preservation Society of London and the World Wildlife Fund, spearheaded the initiative.
Since its inception in the 1960s, the Phoenix Zoo has successfully facilitated the birth of more than 240 Arabian oryx. By 1980, the project had enough animals to begin reintroducing them to their natural habitats. The effort led to the reestablishment of oryx populations in Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Israel, with over 1,000 new animals. Though the wild population remains listed as Vulnerable, the project has been an overwhelming success. Additionally, between 6,000 and 7,000 oryx are currently living in captivity, marking Operation Oryx as one of the most successful captive breeding and reintroduction programs ever undertaken.
4. Przewalski’s Horse
The Przewalski’s horse is an endangered species, having been completely extinct in the wild by 1966. All current individuals are descendants of nine horses that were captured in 1945, a group originally part of 31. These horses were placed in captivity, where a breeding program was initiated to help bring them back from extinction in the wild.
Thanks to the breeding program developed by the Zoological Society of London in collaboration with Mongolian scientists, those original nine horses played a crucial role in the reestablishment of the Przewalski’s horse in its native habitat. By 2016, over 2,000 of these horses were alive. Additionally, a separate population was introduced to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in 1998, deliberately placed in a human-free area. This population is believed to be growing, with the potential to be unaffected by the lingering radiation.
3. Humpback Whale
Though it may seem hard to believe, the largest creatures on Earth are often the ones most at risk of extinction. The humpback whale, like many other whale species, was driven to near extinction by the whaling industry. By the time the impact of whaling was fully understood, the population had been decimated, with fewer than 5,000 humpback whales remaining by the 1960s.
Since the implementation of a global moratorium on whale hunting in 1966, the humpback whale has experienced an incredible recovery. While a captive breeding program is impossible for an animal that can weigh up to 36,000 kilograms (79,000 lb), much of the species' preservation efforts centered on halting the killing of these majestic creatures. Despite continued threats from poaching and fishing gear entanglements, the population has now risen to about 40,000 individuals, still far below their pre-whaling numbers, but a remarkable rebound nonetheless.
2. Bald Eagle
While the bald eagle is widely recognized as the national bird and animal of the United States, few are aware that it once teetered on the edge of extirpation. Extirpation refers to the loss of a species within a specific region, not complete extinction, and in this case, it meant the disappearance of bald eagles from the United States. At the time of the nation's founding, bald eagles thrived in large numbers, with hundreds of thousands of nesting pairs, but by the 1950s, that number plummeted to a mere 412 pairs in the contiguous U.S.
The National Wildlife Federation identified hunting as the main contributor to the decline of bald eagles in 1984, with the pesticide DDT also to blame, though it has since been banned. However, conservation efforts began in earnest, and by 2006, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported a rise to 9,789 breeding pairs. The bald eagle was removed from the federal list of endangered species in 1995, being reclassified from Endangered to Threatened. In 2007, the IUCN officially upgraded the eagle’s status to Least Concern, marking a triumphant return for the species.
1. Amur Leopard
The Amur leopard is the rarest subspecies of leopard on the planet, primarily threatened by the illegal wildlife trade that values their pelts, sometimes fetching up to $1,000 on the black market. Native to the Primorye region in Southeastern Russia and a small portion of China, these magnificent creatures are targeted for their fur. The IUCN classified them as Critically Endangered due to their near extinction in the wild. By 2015, it was estimated that fewer than 60 individuals remained across Russia and China.
Conservation efforts to protect the Amur leopard began in 2007, focusing on captive breeding programs due to concerns that the gene pool of the wild population was too limited, increasing their risk of inbreeding depression. These animals face further threats from human encroachment on their habitat and the poaching of their prey. As of 2011, 173 Amur leopards were recorded in captivity, bringing hope for their future reintroduction. By early 2018, the wild population had grown to 103 individuals, marking a small but significant recovery. Though more work is needed, the Amur leopard has been spared from extinction—just barely.
