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7 Exotic And Endangered Wildlife Species In India

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Kritika Kukreja
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Today, 4th September, we celebrate National Wildlife Day and we at Social Ketchup would like to bring to your attention the vast expanse of stunning wildlife creatures in our country. India has over 500 wildlife sanctuaries and 100 national parks that house hundreds of exotic creatures.

Although our country has been blessed with an abundance of unique and diverse creatures, the interference of man is resulting in disastrous consequences. From poaching of certain species to wiping out forest land, a number of animals are going into extinction.

This #NationalWildlifeDay , here are 7 endangered and rare species of animals that you should definitely see before they disappear -

1. Bengal Tiger
It is found that nearly 70% of the world's tigers live in India and have their home in tropical evergreen forests, deciduous forests, grass jungles, and thorn forests. But due to recent poaching cases, only 2226 tigers are remaining in India.

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#ZealWildlifeTribeFeature Photograph by Giri Cavale(@giricavale) of Bengal Tiger in Sundarbans, India. Sign up and Upload your images on www.zealwildlife.com #zealwildlife #zealwildlifeselect #wildlife #wildlifephotography #igscwildlife #ig_discover_wildlife #natgeowild #igscwildlife #animalplanet #wildplanetphotomag #ig_wildlife_planet #wildlife.hd #majestic_wildlife_ #allnatureshots #animalsaddict #wildlife_seekers #natureaddict #instawild #wildlifephotography #intothewoods #zealwildlifeanimals #tiger #catsofinstagram #bigcats #zealwildlife #zealwildlifeselect #wildlife #wildlifephotography #igscwildlife #ig_discover_wildlife #natgeowild #igscwildlife #animalplanet #wildplanetphotomag #ig_wildlife_planet #wildlife #majestic_wildlife_ #allnatureshots #animalsaddict #wildlife_seekers #natureaddict #instawild #wildlifephotography #intothewoods #zealwildlifeanimals #bengaltiger #tiger #catsofinstagram #bigcats #ZealWildlifeInstagramFeature

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2. Asiatic Lion
Another member of the 'big cat' family is heading towards extinction due to human interference. Currently, the Asiatic Lion can only be found at Sasan Gir Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat. Although, the king of the jungle but only around 100 individuals of Asiatic Lions exist in the wild.

3. Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros
The Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros, or the Indian Rhinoceros has been declared as a vulnerable species by International Union for Conservation of Nature. There has been a marked decline in the number of the Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros since 1975 because of poaching of horns. The Kaziranga National Park continues to be a key reserve for this species and efforts are being taken to secure the current number.

4. Black Buck
Black Bucks were found in abundance back in the day, but due to deforestation, poaching, hunting, and habitat destruction, the species is now entering the endangered list.

5. Nilgiri Tahr
Nilgiri Tahr is the state animal of Tamil Nadu and is usually found in the Western Ghats. Due to poaching activities and deforestation, the number of Nilgiri Tahrs are decreasing day by day.

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The Nilgiri tahr symbolizes the conflicts inherent in conservation of threatened fauna and their habitat. Their number totals around 2200-2500 individuals in the wild. Nilgiri tahrs exist only in small, isolated populations due to extreme habitat fragmentation and illegal hunting. They are, as a result, vulnerable to local extinction. The reasons for the decline of tahr populations have not been fully understood. Despite several studies over the years, there are only rough estimations of Nilgiri tahr populations. The species has always been under severe stress on account of the construction of numerous hydroelectric projects, timber felling and monoculture plantation of eucalyptus and wattles. All these development activities, especially the plantation activities affect the heart of the tahr habitat, which are the grasslands – sholas. The Nilgiri tahr inhabits the open montane grassland habitats at elevations from 1200 to 2600 m (generally above 2000 m) of the South Western Ghats. Their range extends over 400 km from north to south, and Eravikulam National Park is home to the largest population. The other significant concentration is in the Nilgiri Hills, with smaller populations in the Anamalai Hills, Periyar National Park, Palni Hills and other pockets in the Western Ghats south of Eravikulam, almost to India’s southern tip. _______________________ #kerala #eravikulamnationalpark #eravikulam #nilgiri #nilgiritahr #conservation #endangeredspecies #endangered #population #westernghats #habitat #wwf #wildlifeprotection #wildlifeconservation #wildlifeindia #wildlifesos #wildlife #bbc #travelphotographer #travel #nature #natureinfocus #sanctuaryasia #lonelyplanetindia #instagram #natgeoindia #natgeoyourshot #natgeo #canonindia ________________________ @wwf @wwfindia @wildlifesos @world_wildlife @wildlifeindia @wildlifetrustofindia @thewcs @sanctuaryasia @naturein_focus @nature_org @keralatourism @incredibleindia @natgeoindia @bbcearth @eravikulamnationalpark

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6. Lion Tailed Macaque
Found in isolated areas of the Western Ghats, the Lion Tailed Macaque is one of the most endangered species in the world right now. It is one of the 16 macaque species in the world and extremely distinct because of its outer appearance. Due to the decreasing population, this species is only found in wildlife reserves and zoos currently.

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The lion tailed macaque, endemic to the Western Ghats, is named for it's lion like tail, although it also sports a leonine silvery mane, from which gaze a pair of fiery dark orange eyes. A uniquely evolved creature, it is possibly the rarest macaque in the world, an endangered species with less than 2000 individuals left in the wild. #wildlife_addicts #wild #wildlifephotography #wildlife #wildernessculture #endangeredspecies #rainforest #nationalgeographic #natgeowild #nature #naturephotography #ntc_feature #anamalaitigerreserve #valparai #wildlife_india #earthcapture #animals #animalplanet #forest #featured_wildlife #westernghats #natgeotravel #outdoors #liontailedmacaque #explore #primate #discover_wildlife @featured_wildlife @discoverychannel @bbcearth @bbcwildlifemagazine @discovery @wildkarnataka @rainforestalliance_india @indian_wildlifes @photographys__love @globe_visuals @nature_org @naturethroughcamera_ntc @natgeoyourshot

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7. Snow Leopard
Mostly found in the Himalayan region, the now Leopard species is gradually declining due to hunting and poaching for their long, thick furry coats. Along with that, habitat destruction is also a contributing factor in wiping out nearly 20% of the Snow Lepard population since the last 20 years.

These wonderful species of animals are absolutely rare, but most of all, they are important for ecological reasons and maintaining the ecosystem. Their extinction will ultimately turn out to be a great loss for humans in the near future.

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