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In Greek mythology, there was as King named Midas. Now Midas asked the gods that he be granted the touch of gold; the gods asked him to think over his request and come to them again; but once again Midas asked for the same, and the god’s granted his wish.

He touched some items and they were transformed into gold, so far so good. Next he picked up some food to eat and it turned to gold, as well, he was a little distressed but still happy. Lastly, in a moment of fatherly love Midas, hugged his only daughter and she turned into a lifeless gold statue. Now, Midas realized his folly but it was too late.

As, Midas had the golden touch; the modern man, has the toxic touch, as anything he touches, he desecrates. He has polluted the air, the water and the soil. He has polluted the air by his factories chimneys discharging toxic fumes; and he has polluted the water, by turning clean water reserves into drains, full of raw sewage; and he has polluted the soil by using fertilizers, insecticides and pesticides.

Man, has recklessly ravaged his environment beyond recognition, ever since the much cherished and much hyped Industrial Revolution, and still continues to do so with aplomb.

His rash and unwise treatment of the environment has created a hole in the ionosphere over the Arctic which is the major cause of the menace of global warming and the destructive weather changes prompted by it.

Man must realize, that he is only a single form of life among a myriad of others inhabiting the planet earth. From the elusive sperm whale, rarely spotted snow leopard of the Northern Areas of Pakistan, to the near extinct species, like the Siberian tiger and the majestic white Indian rhino, only to name a few.

Man is also responsible for deforestation of whole sections of the rain forest, in the name and for the sake of (what?) development. We all know that rain forests are the prime habitat where life thrives in so many different, colours, shapes, modes and varieties than all the rest of the Eco-systems combined. A unique example, is the Jesus lizard which walks on water (hence, the name).

Man is indebted to this environment and all the wildlife, as the valuable flora and fauna/herbs of the forests and animals like chimpanzees, rats and dogs daily help him in his quest to combat and defeat disease. These animals are guinea pigs in his daily research to come up with new and better drugs and cosmetic products.

And man thanks them and the rest of their kind by either destroying their habitat or encroaching upon it, thereby displacing whole colonies, which in the ultimate analysis, leads to their utter annihilation.

Now, is the right time when man must stop this madness which is irreparably destroying his environment and with it the precious wildlife, as well. And if he does not and that too, soon, he would have no place left to call home.

Man, like countless other living beings he has recklessly slaughtered__ for instances, the snakes and crocodiles (animals hailing from the age of dinosaurs) for the sake of making fashion accessories like belts, shoes and hand bags__ will also become extinct.

Pray let sanity prevail and man should proceed beyond and above political rhetoric and paying mere lip service to the environment and instead take some concrete steps to save Mother Earth.

Siberian tigers are the largest cats in the world, weighing 660 lbs (300 kg) and measuring 10.75 ft (3.3 m). They can be found mainly in the snowy regions of Russia, whereas others abide in China and North Korea. Renowned for their sheer strength and power, they prefer to lead solitary lives and scent-mark large territories to warn rivals to keep away. They are indeed very powerful nocturnal hunters and can walk several miles to find prey such as wild boar, elk and deer.

Although upon first glance of the naked eye, they may all appear to have the same stripes, but in-fact no two tigers actually carry the exact same stripes and wear their own distinct coats, using them as camouflage to skillfully hunt by sleuth, lying in waiting and then creeping close enough to attack their prey with a quick spring and a fatal pounce. A hungry tiger can eat as much as 60 pounds (27.2 kilograms) in just one night, although they normally eat a lot less.

The Siberian tigresses can give birth to litters of two to six cubs, which they raise with little or no help from the male. Their cubs are unable to hunt until they reach 18 months old and remain with their mothers for up to two to three years, when they roam off to find their own territory.

Contrary to their falsely depicted reputation as being savage man-eaters, most tigers are infact reclusive, preferring to avoid human contact. If they do come into contact, it is because humans are intruding into their territory and they are defending it as they would from all other species. These beautiful mammals are sadly often found sick and unable to hunt and lead a natural quality of life because their traditional prey is no longer there, so their food supplies are cut, due illegal human activities and interference, such as de-forestation and poaching.

Once there were up to eight sub-species, but during the 20th century, three became extinct. Now, there are an estimated 400 to 500 Siberian tigers living in the wild, and recent surveys suggest that these numbers are stable. But their northern climate is far harsher than those of other tigers and these animals have something going in their favour like the Northern forests which fortunately offer them the lowest human density of any tiger habitat, and the most complete ecosystem coupled with vast woodlands which also allow them far more area to roam, as Russia’s timber industry is thankfully less extensive compared with other countries.

Over the last century alone, ruthless hunting, poaching, slow poisoning for the fur industry, so as not to damage the tiger skins, and forest destruction have all reduced overall tiger populations from hundreds of thousands to a mere 5,000 to 7,000. Tigers are tragically hunted as trophies by the Chinese and North Koreans for their body parts which are used by them to make ‘traditional medicines’, so as a consequence of these unnatural acts, all five remaining tiger subspecies are endangered and their protection status has come under the heading of Endangered Species.

As things stand positively at the moment, in our efforts to save the endangered Siberian tigers, many conservation programs have been established to save the critically endangered Siberian tiger, whose numbers have dwindled to mere hundreds in the wild. Poaching is reduced but still a very significant threat to Siberian tigers. In-fact, most Siberian tigers can now be observed as zoo exhibits, used to breed in a plan known as SSP, or Species Survival Plan, a breeding programmes based on 83 tigers which were captured for this cause. And now, as a result, there are presently 160 Siberian tigers in the SSP alone.

To find out more how we can make our own personal contribution to help save these beautiful, dignified and noble mammals species, keep in touch with their current status, as well as other species on the endangered list, it would definately be a very sensible and humanitarian decision to become a life member of WWF, without any hesitation, as soon as possible, or ideally, right away!

This is a collection of 13 endanger species, all with babies born in captivity in the past few year. Some of these species are very rare, and near extinction. Therefore, when they have babies, it was more than joy. It was a celebration!

Rare Red Pandas

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On May 26th, 2008, the Edmonton Valley Zoo welcomed two rare red pandas, who were named Tai and Pip. The cubs have double their birth weight, and increase their survival rate.

The twins will be hand raised by Sandy Heiliker, the Valley Zoo Health Technologist, along with Dr. Milton Ness, since the mother was a bit rough in grooming one of the babies. Sandy Heiliker was responsible for the 2007 twins also, and they have grown into healthy pandas.

Vancouver Island Marmot

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Canada’s Vancouver Island Marmots are the most endangered animal, and for the first time since 1994 had more than 100, with four facilities participate in the recovery of these animals.

There are only 25 marmots in the wild, and they remain the most threatened species. Marmots were brought into captivity to increase the chance of the pups’ survival rate. If left in the wild, their chances are only at 51%, but the rate jumps up to 92.6% in captivity.

Pygmy Rabbit

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The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, together with the Washington States University scientists launched an emergency program to save the country’s smallest native rabbits.

Three litters have been born at the Oregon Zoo from May 1 to May 5, and other litters are expected in June. These endangered Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits are an-ongoing joint effort to save these near-extinction animals, a native of eastern Washington’s shrub-steppe.

Scarlet Macaws

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For the first time, endangered Costa Rica scarlet macaws born in captivity are now reproducing in the wild. These beautiful birds suffer from hunting and poaching that once occupied all Costa Rica.

These birds can live to 80 years and begin to reproduce at 7 years old. At ZooAve Center in La Garita, there are 86 scarlet macaws, of which 54 are in the breeding program.

White-Backed Vulture

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The long-billed, slender-billed, and oriental white-backed vultures are in endangered since millions of these vultures have died eating sick carcasses. Through the effort of breeding, one white-backed chick had hatched in captivity, in India.

Black-Footed Ferrets

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The National Zoo’s Conservation and Research Center (CRC) revealed that the survival rates were higher for the black-footed ferrets in exposed outdoor burrows with prairie dogs.

The nearly extinct ferrets that were born each year at CRC are given this access to increase their survival rates, and were returned to the American West in the states of Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, Montana, South Dakota, and Mexico.

Golden Langur

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The rare golden langur is the most endangered monkey on earth, according to environmentalists, and a golden male langur has been born in captivity, in Hanoi, Vietnam. This was reported in July 18th, 2003.

This is the rarest primate species on earth, and the Endangered Primate Rescue Center had only one couple in captivity. It is feared that this golden male langur is the last of its kind if hunting, poaching, and their habitat are not under controlled.

Black Jaguar

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This is the third cub that has been born in captivity in Peru. The Huachipa Zoo in Lima reported that the cub is doing great, and is known as an Otorongo (Panthera onca). To see more of this Peruvian jaguar pictures, click on the link.

Siberian Tigers

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The Siberian tigers are one of the world’s top ten rarest animals. Eighty four cubs had been born in March, 2007, and another 13 pregnant tigers were expected to give birth in October bringing another 20 to 30 more cubs to the breeding facility in northeastern China.

Angel Shark

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An angel shark pup had been born in captivity for the first time ever last year, in the Aquarium of the Bay, which exhibits two adult angel sharks, spiny dogfish, leopard sharks, soupfin sharks, and swell sharks.

The angel sharks have large wing-shaped pectoral fins, flattened bodies, and camouflage to blend with the sandy and rocky bottom of the Bat in brown, black and gray colors.

White Rhinos

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The white rhinos are close to extinction, and the first white rhino born in captivity was at Pretoria on June 8, 1967.

In 1988, seventy five rhinos were born at San Diego Wild Animal Park. The white rhinos have larger head and body than black rhinos. They can live up to 50 years, and weight up to two tons.

Rare Chinese Snub-Nosed Monkey

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A golden snub-nosed monkey had been born at the Beijing Breeding Center for Endangered Species in 1998. This is China most endangered species. This rare monkey is also known as Sichuan golden money due to its fur color, and lives in the mountainous area at the height of 15,400 feet above sea level.

Black and White Ruffed Lemurs

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This black and white ruffed lemur is the third born generation in captivity. Mother and infant developed a strong healthy relationship, since usually young lemurs are known for abandoning their young, or delivering still born.

It is wonderful to know that through the effort of rescuing and breeding centers for many endangered species; most of these beautiful animals may have a chance to stay around longer.