UNITED STATES — Every year on the third Friday in May, people around the world participate in Endangered Species Day by celebrating, learning about and taking action to protect threatened and endangered species, according to the Endangered Species Coalition (ESC).
This year Endangered Species Day falls on Friday, May 17. This day of action was created and founded by David Robinson and the Endangered Species Coalition in 2006, and has continued ever since. Wildlife refuges, gardens, schools, libraries, museums, community groups, nonprofits and individuals hold activities and special programs to recognize the importance of preserving species and their habitat, according to ESC.
The National Museum of Wildlife Art (NMWA) marked the day by sharing a work of art from its collection, an ink on paper sketch of an orangutan by Wilhelm Kuhnert.
According to NMWA, orangutans are one of the animals currently on the Endangered Species List. It’s estimated that a century ago there were more than 230,000 orangutans in total, but the Bornean orangutan is now estimated at about 104,700 (Endangered) and the Sumatran at about 7,500 (Critically Endangered).
NMWA wrote on its Facebook that Endangered Species Day is “a day set aside to both raise awareness of the continued plight of endangered species and celebrate those that have recovered because of conservation efforts.”
In Wyoming, the black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes), the Wyoming Toad (Bufo hemiophrys baxteri) and the North American wolverine are listed as endangered.
On November 23, 2023, the North American wolverine was the newest mammal added to the endangered species list. This new listing provides the species and its remaining habitat with additional protections to ensure its best chance for survival.
Wyoming’s threatened species include: Northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis), grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), western yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus), Canadian lynx (Lynx canadensis) and Preble’s meadow jumping mouse (Zapus hudsonius preblei).
According to the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), one million species globally are at risk of extinction in the next few decades, including 27 percent of the world’s mammals, 41 percent of amphibians, 37 percent of sharks and rays and 21 percent of reptiles. This loss is driven by human activity, including habitat destruction, overexploitation, pollution and climate change.
The U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) provides a framework to protect and recover species at risk of extinction. Enacted in 1973, it has been credited with saving 99% of listed species from extinction. To qualify for ESA protections, a species must first be listed under the law as either endangered or threatened, according to AWI.
