It’s so sad to learn that these animals are facing possible extinction due to various causes such as habitat destruction, competition from introduced species, deforestation and hunting.

Fijian-crested Iguana - a zookeeper holds one at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo. Only a few wild populations remain of the endangered iguana which is found on several Fijian islands.

Matschie’s Tree Kangaroo - the only one at the Singapore Zoo, is seen in the Fragile Forest section which houses animals in danger of extinction. Papua New Guinea, long derided for allowing widespread illegal logging, has created a conservation areas the size of Singapore to protect the bear-like, tree kangaroos and other endangered species.

Slow Loris – an endangered species in Gauhati, India. The Slow Loris, the name given because of slow pace of its strides has no tail, is pygmy sized and sports two beautiful and large eyes but a toxic bite.

Mandrill with Baby – One of the Budapest Zoo’s three six-week-old Mandrill babies (Mandrillus Sphinx) rests in the lap of its mother during the first public appearance in Budapest, 2007. The Mandrill is one of the endangered species of West Africa, for which a breeding program is coordinated at the Budapest Zoo

Two Baby Tamarins - a male and female, cling to a stuffed toy Tamarin, held by a zoo keeper at the Utica zoo in New York. The two endangered golden Tamarins were rejected by their mother, so in order to keep the babies from imprinting 100 per cent on the humans caring for them, the keepers placed the toy in the incubator where the parents live.

Tasmanian Devil - a healthy joey displayed as part of an intensive conservation programme, because of the spread of an infectious facial tumour which gradually disfigures the animal’s face to the point it is unable to eat.

Numbat

Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroo

Long-eared Jerboa – an extraordinary mammal found in the deserts of Mongolia and China. The tiny creature looks like a mouse-sized kangaroo with enormous ears. This endangered animal was filmed during a recent Zoological Society of London expedition to the Mongolian Gobi desert to track down and assess the species.

Moluccan or Salmon-crested Cockatoo - Illegal traders exploited the religious conflict in Indonesia’s Maluku province in May to traffic and sell hundreds of the endangered birds, a species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

Burmese Star Tortoises - Three critically endangered Burmese Star Tortoises at the San Diego Zoo, the first time this species has successfully reproduced at the facility. The Burmese Star Tortoise is not often bred in zoos, but with more as-yet-unhatched eggs, animal care staff are hoping that more of the tortoises emerge.  The reptile is almost extinct in its native Myanmar as its numbers dwindle.

Brush-tailed Bettong with her joey – After living in its mother’s pouch for more than three months, this joey emerged at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. This tiny marsupial which only weighs 0.9 to 1.3kgs when fully grown is native to Southwestern Australia. This rare species was nearly extinct in the wild by the early 1900s due to predation by introduced animals like cats, rats and foxes. Fortunately, managed breeding programs and recovery efforts are underway to ensure the species survival.

Eastern-barred Bandicoot

The source for this article is at Endangered Animals – News.com.au