Since our last ARKive e-news 135 species, 1572 images and 85 film clips have been added to ARKive. Finding images and film clips of rare species can be tricky, which is why we regularly publish our most wanted lists on the ARKive site. Search your photo and film libraries to see if you have the crucial image or clip that will tell ARKive's visitors something unique about a species. Alternatively, do let us know if you have media collections of any other endangered species that we should consider.
Over the past few weeks we have heard more sad news in relation to certain species, whose time on Earth may be running out. Tigers, primates and bears have all made the headlines with scary statistics revealing just how rare many of these species now are. It is our job to audio visually catalogue as many of these species as possible, using photographs and films to raise awareness of their plight.
Please help us to spread the word of our work by forwarding this newsletter to friends and colleagues to let them know what is happening right now to some of the world's most loved species.
Thanks again for visiting and supporting ARKive.
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Harriet Nimmo
Wildscreen Chief Executive
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Richard Edwards
ARKive Director
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The Wildlife Institute of India reports that the current tiger population now stands at around 1,300 -1,500 compared to 3,642 in 2002. This decline is the result of poaching and encroachment of the tiger's habitat. Thirty years ago India set aside over thirty tiger reserves controlled by Project Tiger (now the National Tiger Conservation Authority). Initially this project was hailed as a great success but in the last few years hundreds of tigers have been poached from right under the noses of officials.
To try and prevent numbers from further decline the Indian Prime Minister has instigated a Tiger Protection Force. The force will employ retired army personnel to guard the reserves controlled by Project Tiger.
To read more about this visit www.wii.gov.in
To see ARKive's images and film clips of tigers visit www.arkive.org/species/GES/mammals/Panthera_tigris/
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A survey by scientists from the Species Survival Commission (SSC) and the International Primatological Society (IPS), in collaboration with Conservation International has announced that almost one in three species of primate now face extinction.
Illegal trade, the bushmeat industry and deforestation means that 29% of primate species are in danger of being wiped out. The report, Primates in peril: the world's 25 most endangered primates 2006/2008,
has been compiled by 60 experts from 21 countries.
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- Delacour's langur
- 60% of all Delacour's langurs occur in isolated populations of less than 20, and are at risk without strict regulations and law enforcement.
See more
- Sumatran orang-utan
- The main threat to this species is logging, both legal and illegal, which often leads to total conversion of forests for agriculture or oil palm plantations.
See more
- Bioko red colobus
- During the past twenty years the Bioko red colobus has lost nearly half its total population to uncontrolled bushmeat hunting.
See more
- Kipunji
- Without the protection of the Mt. Rungwe-Livingstone forest, this newly discovered species will have a tragically short chapter in primate history.
See more
- Variegated spider monkey
- There are two recognized subspecies of the variegated spider monkey. Both are Critically Endangered due to habitat loss, hunting and the pet trade.
See more
- Greater bamboo lemur
- The largest of Madagascar's unique bamboo-eating lemurs, the greater bamboo lemur has all but disappeared from its former range.
See more
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Last week we heard that six, out of the world's eight species of bears are threatened with extinction, according to recent assessments by the IUCN Bear and Polar Bear Specialist Groups. Asia and South America are revealed as the areas most in need of urgent conservation action. The sun bear, which is the world's smallest bear, is now classed as Vulnerable, whilst the giant panda retains its position as Endangered despite massive conservation efforts in China to try and protect it.
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- Spectacled bear
- The spectacled bear comes from the Andes in South America. Although legally protected, enforcement is under-funded.
See more
- Asiatic black bear
- A relative of the American black bear, the Asiatic black bear is protected by law in all the countries it lives in except for Japan.
See more
- Polar bear
- The greatest challenge to the conservation of polar bears is likely to be large scale ecological change resulting from climatic warming.
See more
- Malayan sun bear
- The smallest of all the bear species, experts estimate that sun bears have declined by at least 30% over the past 30 years.
See more
- Sloth bear
- Sloth bears have found sanctuary in reserves set up to protect tigers, as habitat loss has been severe on the Indian subcontinent.
See more
- Giant panda
- The giant panda retains its position as Endangered despite massive conservation efforts in China to try and protect it.
See more
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Humphrey Tauro is a filmmaker who contributed material to ARKive following entering the Wildscreen Festival in 2006. Humphrey's footage in ARKive is of yellow-eyed penguins
and northern royal albatross
' filmed on the Otago Penisula on the edge of Dunedin, in the South Island of New Zealand. The footage during the final year of his Natural History Filmmaking & Communications course at the University of Otago and was entered into the BBC Newcomer Award at the Wildscreen Festival in 2006.
"My love for wildlife filmmaking dawned largely from the awe of imagery I found in Mother Nature. I film wildlife and nature related documentaries, with an intention of working on stories that help in the better understanding of the natural world and to unravel secrets of the grandeur of Mother Nature. In ARKive I saw similarities - reaching out to people througha visual medium and hence my association with the project."
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ARKive is a constantly changing and growing resource. Each month we upload many new species as well as adding images and films to existing records. We have recently added a very rare piece of film footage from Peter Schneider which shows the graceful manta ray (Manta birostris) mating.
Peter says, "like two flamenco dancers, the rays are whirling around each other. The male faces her back, trying to seduce her. But she is not ready yet and tries to keep some distance. The spectacle is so fascinating; I have difficulties to keep my eyes fixed to the camera monitor. I am tempted to let go and watch the scene live, but I become conscious of the uniqueness of this moment and realize, perhaps nobody has recorded this behaviour before"
"The copulation itself lasts around 30 seconds, before the two manta rays separate again. Just in front of my camera, he leaves to the left and she exits the frame to the right, I will never get a chance to witness such a behaviour again in my life."
To watch this film clip visit: www.arkive.org/species/GES/fish/Manta_birostris/Manta_birostris_09
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We are always open to suggestions of endangered species that should be included in ARKive. If you have media, or know of its existence, for an endangered species that we have not yet covered, or can add to the collections already in ARKive, then please do let us know. You can contact the ARKive media team on: arkive@wildscreen.org.uk
To find out which species the ARKive media research team are currently working on or to view our most wanted species, please visit the ARKive species lists
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