100 Under 100

by Scott Leslie

Madagascar pochard, 18, 119–23

  nene (Hawaiian goose), 19, 259–62

  pink-headed duck, 20, 114–16

  spot-billed duck, 115

  water lilies, thermal, 22, 219–20

  weeds, damage to ecosystems, 8

  wetlands, loss of, 89, 108, 115, 140

  wet tropics, 152–54

  whale oil, 53–54, 55

  whales

  bowhead, 54

  Eastern North Pacific right, 16, 53–57

  minke, 56

  whaling, 53–56

  wheatgrass, Phillip Island, 20, 189–90

  whimbrel, 109–10, 113

  white-collared kite, 22, 105–7

  white-throated ground dove, 207

  whooping crane, 22, 240–42

  Wild Boar Gully (U.S.), 181

  wildcats

  Amur leopard, 13, 37–39

  Amur tiger, 38

  Asiatic cheetah, 14, 39–42

  Bali tiger, 84

  Iberian lynx, 17, 234–38

  Iriomote cat, 17, 42–44

  South China tiger, 21, 36–37

  Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), 261, 262

  Wildlife Conservation Society, 41, 144

  wildlife fences, 48–49

  Wildlife Preservation Canada, 8

  Wilson, E.O., 184

  Wingate, David, 247–49

  Wirayudha, Bayu, 87

  wirebird, 184

  wisent, 22, 222–24

  Woburn Abbey (U.K.), 198

  Wollemi National Park (Australia), 176

  Wollemi pine, 22, 176–77

  wolves

  Iberian, 237

  Mexican, 16, 44–47

  wombat, northern hairy-nosed, 19, 231–34

  Wood Buffalo National Park (Canada), 241

  woodpecker finch, 78, 80

  World Land Trust-US, 82

  World Parrot Trust, 8

  World War I, 223

  World War II, 226

  wren, Niceforo’s, 19, 80–82

  Wyoming toad, 22, 217–18

  Yadanabon Zoo, 143

  Yangtze dolphin, 14, 60–61

  Yangtze giant softshell turtle, 22, 145–47

  Yangtze River (China), 60–61

  Yunnan box turtle, 22, 139–41

  Zoo Atlanta, 144, 145, 216

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  There are many people whom I would like to thank, listed here in alphabetical order by first name: Alan Lewis, Alan Sanders, Dr. Bradley Wilson, Christopher Sheehan, Dr. Dan Mennill, Daniella Schrudde, February Balbas, Fred Burton MBE, Glenn Dodge, Gregory Cairns-Wicks, Janos Olah, Jon Hornbuckle, Leonora Enking, Liz Mwambui, Lynn Labanne, Maiko Lutz, Martin Hale, Dr. Martina Raffel, Merlijn van Weerd, Patricia Paladines, Dr. Patricia Wright, Paul Calle, Dr. Rebecca Cairns-Wicks, Dr. Rick Hudson, Sandra Valderrama, Sergio Seipke, Simon Colenutt, Dr. Thomas Geissmann, Vicky Sawyer-Somma, Victoria Jackson.

  Thank you to the IUCN for permission to quote the endangerment categories for species listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

  I am very grateful to Dr. Stuart Pimm for writing the book’s foreword. And thanks to Leo MacDonald, Sarah Howden, and my editor Brad Wilson, all at HarperCollins Canada.

  A heartfelt thank you to all the people, everywhere, who work tirelessly to protect and save our irreplaceable natural world.

  Last but not least, my deepest appreciation must go to my wife, Paula.

  Photo Insert

  Blue iguana » The fact that the Cayman Island blue iguana has a light-sensitive spot on the top of its head (a third eye, if you will), did little to defend it against centuries of predation by introduced rats, cats, and dogs. By 2003, the colourful lizard was almost extinct, with as few as five of them surviving. Happily, since then, the determined efforts of the Blue Iguana Recovery Program have resulted in a stunning comeback for the long-lived lizard, and today there are 250 thriving on the island.

  Black-footed ferret » The slender and elegant black-footed ferret spends much of its time underground, either sleeping, raising its kits, or hunting the burrowing black-tailed prairie dog, its primary source of food. This plains-dwelling member of the weasel family has been the focus of one of the most intensive wildlife recovery efforts in North America, which has brought the species back from the brink of extinction to a total population of about 1,000 today, living both in captivity and in the wild.

  Pink pigeon » The pink pigeon was never heavily hunted, and it may have avoided the fate of the extinct dodo (also a species of pigeon) because its meat was thought to make people sick, possibly owing to its diet, which includes toxic seeds. Even without the threat of hunting, by 1990 there were only 10 pink pigeons left in the wild. Today, through the efforts of the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, there are about 400 living in the wilds of Mauritius.

  Vancouver Island marmot » A mascot of the 2010 Winter Olympics, the Vancouver Island marmot had the dubious distinction of being Canada’s rarest mammal. Less than a decade ago, there were 30 marmots left in the wild, the only survivors of clear-cut logging and predation by wolves, cougars, and eagles. Conservationists have been working tirelessly to ensure their survival, and by 2010 the population had increased dramatically, to 300.

  Northern sportive lemur » Named for the upright, boxer-like stance it takes when threatened, this nocturnal animal is largely a mystery. The northern sportive lemur is one of the rarest of the planet’s primates; possibly fewer than 100 survive in small, scattered bits of forest in northern Madagascar, where they spend their days sleeping in hollowed-out tree trunks. Conservationists are working to save its last forest habitats.

  Rabb’s fringe-limbed tree frog » In a most unfroglike way, the newly discovered Rabb’s fringe-limbed tree frog will launch itself from high atop the trees, spreading its toes and using its four very large webbed feet like parachutes to drift softly to the ground. The species is no longer found in the wild, and just a handful of frogs exists in captivity. Conservationists are attempting to breed them, so that this remarkable amphibian might someday restock former wild habitats in its native Panama.

  Burmese roofed turtle » If it weren’t for the sanctuary provided by a Buddhist temple pond in the middle of the city of Mandalay, we might still think the brilliant green Burmese roofed turtle was extinct. That’s where three of them were discovered alive and well in 2002, prompting further searches for the species. In 2004 a few more were found in the wild, along a river in northern Burma, and the following year a recovery program was initiated. There’s still a long way to go, but some progress is being made toward a time when this rare turtle might thrive in the wild again.

  Mountain bongo » Africa’s most endangered antelope, the mountain bongo, was thought to be extinct due to poaching and tree-cutting in the mountain forests of East Africa. Then a herd of 30 of them was discovered in 2004. Now, with its habitat protected by the world’s longest wildlife fence (which also protects a host of other animals), and with a captive breeding program in place, this striking species, with its reddish-brown fur and vertical white stripes, may yet make a comeback.

  Bali myna » Mozart may have had a pet starling that he taught to speak, but it was nothing like the Bali myna (also a species of starling), with its snow-white plumage and its exotic song. Habitat destruction on the island of Bali and illegal poaching for the pet trade have made it among the rarest songbirds on earth. Collectors will pay thousands of dollars to own one. Only 24 birds are known to exist in the wild, with another several dozen in an increasingly successful captive breeding and release program.

  Cat Ba langur » Irresistible with their heart-shaped faces and expressive eyes surrounded by ruffs of golden fur, Cat Ba langurs live in what’s left of the tropical wet forests on Vietnam’s Cat Ba Island. Illegal poaching and the loss of their forest habitat had reduced the population from some 3,000 in the 1960s to just 53 by the year 2000. Over the last decade, however, the dedicated effort of the Cat Ba Langur Conservation Project to pull the species back
from the brink has had some success, and the population is slowly growing.

  Greater bamboo lemur » The woolly and wide-eyed greater bamboo lemur eats pretty much only one thing: bamboo. And that’s the problem: only 1 percent of their original bamboo forest habitat remains, so they’re running out of both a place to live and their food supply. The good news is that a small new population of the highly social primate was recently discovered living in northern Madagascar, inspiring hope that the species still has a chance at survival. Even so, it’s estimated there could be fewer than 100 greater bamboo lemurs left.

  Iranian Gorgan mountain salamander » Perhaps it isn’t surprising that the Iranian Gorgan mountain salamander wasn’t known to science until 1979, living, as it does, in one tiny pool in a single cave in the mountains of northwestern Iran. Even now, little is known about this amphibian, except that it is critically endangered. Today, only about 100 breeding adults survive, threatened by the habitat damage and the disturbance caused by people visiting the cave.

  Lord Howe Island giant stick insect » The Lord Howe Island giant stick insect, also fittingly known as the land sausage, is one of the larger species of insects, reaching 15 centimetres in length and weighing more than some small birds. Once thought extinct, in 2001 it was rediscovered on the world’s tallest sea stack, the 600-metre-high spire of rock known as Ball’s Pyramid, near Lord Howe Island, off the east coast of Australia. Only 20 of the bugs survived, clinging to existence under a single bush growing on the side of a cliff. Today, conservationists are captive-breeding the insect in a zoo for reintroduction to Lord Howe Island; however, for now the individuals on Ball’s Pyramid remain the only ones living in the wild.

  He-cabbage tree » Given such a masculine name because of its hairy leaves, the small he-cabbage tree survives on just a few sites in the high elevations of remote St. Helena in the South Atlantic, where Napoleon was exiled in the 19th century. Fewer than 50 mature wild trees remain. Fortunately, the species is being cultivated in the island’s nursery, and some of these 200 seedlings have been planted in the wild, with the hope that they will one day mature and begin producing offspring of their own.

  Pinta Island Galapagos giant tortoise » The last of the Pinta Island Galapagos giant tortoises is affectionately known as Lonesome George. He was discovered leading a solitary bachelor’s life on that island in 1971 and was soon moved to the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island to ensure his survival. Today, Lonesome George weighs 90 kilograms and is about 90 years old (members of the species are thought to live for 150 years or more). It’s hoped that he will breed with one of the two Isabela subspecies females he’s penned with, passing his Pinta Island genes on to future generations.

  Nene goose » The nene goose is a success story of endangered species conservation. As many as 25,000 of them thrived in Hawaii when Captain James Cook arrived there in 1778, but these numbers were later decimated by habitat destruction, hunting, and introduced mammals. Only 30 birds survived by the middle of the 20th century, when three of them were sent to a breeding facility in England in a last-ditch effort to save the species. After 10 years of successful breeding, 100 were returned to Hawaii, beginning the recovery of the nene in the wild. Today, there are more than 1,500 wild nene geese in Hawaii.

  About the Author

  SCOTT LESLIE is an award-winning photographer and author of five books, including Bay of Fundy: A Natural Portrait, Woodland Birds of North America and Wetland Birds of North America. His work has appeared in Reader’s Digest, National Wildlife, Canadian Geographic, Harrowsmith, Scuba Diving, Birder’s World, EarthKeeper and Canadian Wildlife. He has won two Atlantic Journalism Awards, was nominated for a National Magazine Award in 2005 and has garnered numerous prizes for his wildlife photography. Visit Scott at www.scottlesliephoto.com.

  Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.

  HOW YOU CAN HELP

  GENERAL

  These organizations are involved in saving species and endangered ecosystems:

  Encyclopedia of Life: www.eol.org

  Nature Canada: www.naturecanada.ca

  Saving Species: www.savingspecies.org

  Wildlife Conservation Society: www.wcs.org

  World Wildlife Fund: www.worldwildlife.org

  MAMMALS

  Cat Ba langur—Cat Ba Langur Conservation Project: www.catbalangur.org

  Eastern North Pacific right whale—Save the Whales: www.savethewhales.org

  Gilbert’s potoroo—Gilbert’s Potoroo Action Group: www.potoroo.org

  Greater bamboo lemur—Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments: http://icte.bio.sunysb.edu

  Hainan gibbon—Fauna & Flora International: www.fauna-flora.org

  Iberian lynx—SOS Lynx: www.soslynx.org

  Iriomote cat—International Society for Endangered Cats Canada: www.wildcatconservation.org

  Javan rhinoceros—International Rhino Foundation: www.rhinos-irf.org

  Maui’s dolphin—World Wildlife Fund: www.worldwildlife.org

  Mexican wolf—Lobos of the Southwest: www.mexicanwolves.org

  Mountain bongo—Bongo Surveillance Project: www.mountainbongo.org

  Northern hairy-nosed wombat—The Wombat Foundation: www.wombatfoundation.com.au

  Northern sportive lemur—Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership: www.madagascarpartnership.org

  Northern white rhinoceros—Ol Pejeta Conservancy: www.olpejetaconservancy.org

  Scimitar-horned oryx—Sahara Conservation Fund: www.saharaconservation.org

  Seychelles sheath-tailed bat—Nature Seychelles: www.natureseychelles.org

  South China tiger, Amur leopard, Asiatic cheetah—Panthera: www.panthera.org

  Vancouver Island marmot—The Vancouver Island Marmot Recovery Foundation: www.marmots.org

  BIRDS

  For bird species not specifically listed below visit BirdLife International: www.birdlife.org

  Amsterdam Island albatross, short-tailed albatross—Royal Society for the Protection of Birds: www.rspb.org.uk

  Bachman’s warbler—National Audubon Society: www.audubon.org

  Bali myna, Floreana mockingbird, Madagascar pochard, mangrove finch—Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust: www.durrell.org

  Black stilt, Campbell Island teal, Chatham Island black robin, kakapo— TerraNature Trust: www.terranature.org

  Cahow—Government of Bermuda, Ministry of Public Works, Department of Conservation Services: www.conservation.bm/bermuda-petrel-cahow

  California condor, white-collared kite—Peregrine Fund: www.peregrinefund.org

  Echo parakeet, Mauritius kestrel, pink pigeon—Mauritian Wildlife

  Foundation: www.mauritian-wildlife.org

  Eskimo curlew—Bird Canada: www.birdcanada.com

  Hawaiian crow, Molokai thrush, nene, Oahu creeper—American Bird Conservancy: www.abcbirds.org

  Niceforo’s wren—ProAves: www.proaves.org

  Spix’s macaw—Parrots International: www.parrotsinternational.org

  Whooping crane—International Crane Foundation: www.savingcranes.org

  REPTILES

  Grand Cayman blue iguana—Blue Iguana Recovery Program: www.blueiguana.ky

  Philippines crocodile—Cagayan Valley Programme on Environment and Development: www.cvped.org

  Turtles—Turtle Survival Alliance: www.turtlesurvival.org

  AMPHIBIANS

  Amphibian Ark: www.amphibianark.org

  FISH

  River sharks—ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research: www.elasmo-research.org

  INSECTS

  Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation: www.xerces.org

  TREES

  Catalina mahogany—Catalina Island Conservancy: www.catalinaconservancy.org

  He-cabbage, she-cabbage, and St. Helena mahogany—St. Helena National Trust: www.nationaltrust.org.sh

  Virginia round-leaf birch—Center for Biological Diversity: www.biologicaldiversity.org


  PHOTO CREDITS

  Amsterdam albatross: Vincent Legendre/Wikimedia Creative Commons 2.5 attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 generic

  Amur leopard: Silvain de Munck/Creative Commons 2.0 attribution-no derivatives Flickr

  Arakan forest turtle: Wikimedia Commons public domain

  Asiatic cheetah: Rob Qld/Creative Commons, attribution generic 2.0

  Bali myna: Graham Racher/Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons attribution-ShareAlike2.0

  Black-footed ferret: Ryan Hagerty/USFWS

  Blue iguana: Frederic J. Burton

  Burmese roofed turtle: Rick Hudson

  California condor: USFWS/Creative Commons attribution 2.0 generic

  Campbell Island teal: Stomac/Wikimedia Commons public domain

  Cat Ba langur: Jorg Adler/Cat Ba Langur Conservation Project

  Chatham Island black robin: Frances Schmechel/Creative Commons attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 generic

  Crested ibis: Andi Li/Creative Commons, attribution-no derivatives 2.0

  Devils Hole pupfish: USFWS/public domain

  Eastern North Pacific right whale: Scott Leslie

  Echo parakeet: Christopher Sheehan

  El lobo (Mexican wolf): USFWS/Jim Clark Creative Commons attribution 2.0

  Greater Bamboo Lemur: Dede Randrianarista

  Guam rail ko’ko’: courtesy of Guam Department of Agriculture

  Hainan gibbon: Patrick Barry/Flickr Creative Commons attribution-ShareAlike

  He-cabbage tree: Rebecca Cairns-Wicks

  Iberian lynx: Programa de Conservacion ex-situ del Lince Iberico/Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons, attribution 2.5