World Wildlife Day 2024
WORLD WILDLIFE DAY
MARCH 3, 2024
What do the orangutans of Borneo, the elephants of Sumatra, and the Black Rhino all have in common? Aside from all being totally cool animals that we watch on YouTube, the more sobering truth about these creatures is that they’re all critically endangered species. But on World Wildlife Day, the UN and its partners are planning to raise awareness of the gravity of this dire situation.
An animal is only placed on the critically endangered species list if the International Union for Conservation of Nature believes the animal faces a very high risk for extinction – extinction as in going the way of the dinosaurs and dodo. So what does critically endangered look like? Current estimates put the number of living Black Rhinos at around 2,500 in the entire world. Russia’s Amur Leopard, found in the far eastern recesses of the country, is on the verge of extinction, with only about 40 left in the world. Unfortunately, this list goes on and on.
To raise awareness of endangered species and what we all can do, the UN is celebrating World Wildlife Day on March 3, marking the day the group signed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
WORLD WILDLIFE DAY TIMELINE
HOW TO OBSERVE WORLD WILDLIFE DAY
1. Share some amazing facts
One of the best ways to catch the attention of your friends and spread a message at the same time — especially with animals — is to share a cool fact. Maybe it’s on social media, or maybe it’s around the office water cooler. Either way, it’s a great opportunity to share a little known fact about an endangered animal, and hopefully spark some curiosity about conservation.
2. Throw a Planet Earth party
You’d be hard pressed to find someone who vehemently says no to watching the BBC’s groundbreaking TV series Planet Earth. Now with two seasons readily available for online streaming, use World Wildlife Day as a time to watch this amazing series again, or introduce it to those who were unfortunate enough to miss it first time around.
3. Get involved
People all over the world are expected to come together on March 3 to discuss ways to discuss the biggest threats to the world’s wildlife, including habitat change, over-exploitation and illegal tracking. Governments, natural parks leaders, citizens and lawmakers will all be holding events to raise awareness, so find one near you, and get to work.
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