MAMMALS.

“We don’t own the planet, we belong to it. And we must share it with our wildlife.”
- Steve Irwin, Conservationist

Rewilding Argentina works to conserve not only the giant anteater, but also several species like jaguars, ocelots, collard peccaries, giant river otters, pampas deer, and several bird species with their Iberá Project.
IEF works to fund rangers to combat wildlife crimes, they clean up snares that entrap all kinds of species meant for bushmeat exploitation, and they have protected thousands of African and Asian elephants around the world.
Description text goes hereIRF is one of the most impactful organizations aimed at protecting rhinos in both Africa and Asia -- check out their work here.
Check out PDC's website here to learn how they are working to increase the home range of wild Painted Dog populations.
Pygmy Hippo Foundation works to restore rainforests that the critically endangered pygmy hippo needs to survive. Learn more here.
Red Panda Network is a world leader in the conservation of red pandas. Visit their website here to learn more.

Conservation Rockstars:

Several organizations are out there dedicated to conserving the most critically endangered animals in the world, as well as the homes they live in. Their programs not only keep protected areas human-free, but they also fund rangers to keep the animals safe from poachers, as well as helping local communities with incentives to prevent them from needing to seek out wildlife for any reason.

Elephants

Loxodonta africana | Elephas maximus

Elephants of both species, and especially the Big Tuskers of Africa, are often poached for their ivory and other products to be sold on the black market. But elephants around the world suffer greatly from human-wildlife conflict. Large animals needs large swaths of space to live, and agricultural expansion and settlement development have driven these animals out of their native homelands. In Africa, where elephant herds travel miles during the dry season to locations they knew water existed are greatly impacted by this issue where humans have taken over those ancestral lands.

African and Asian elephants have numerous physical differences, with the main few being the shape of their ears and the number of “fingers” on the end of their trunks. African elephants’ ears are large, shaped like Africa, to fan them in the heat, and they have two fingers on their trunk. Asian elephants have much smaller ears with only one finger — and though females do have small tusks called “tushes,” they are rarely seen.

Black Rhino

Diceros bicornis

Rhinos, much like elephants, are extremely susceptible to poaching for their horns, which are used in traditional medicine despite the well-circulated knowledge that rhino horn is made of keratin — the same material as our fingernails and hair — with no special healing properties. These large animals also suffer greatly from habitat loss due to human activity and climate change.

Black and white rhinos are the same color — black rhinos get their name from the white rhino, which is taken from the Afrikaans word “wyd” for wide. White rhinos have a much wider mouth than black rhinos.

There are five living species of rhinoceros today, and of the five, three are critically endangered: black rhinos, Sumatran rhinos, and Javan rhinos, the latter two which are found in Asia. Greater one-horned rhinos, also in Asia, are considered vulnerable by the IUCN.

Painted Dog

Lycaon pictus

Human encroachment into Painted Dogs’ habitats is leading to habitat loss and severe population fragmentation. They live in large packs, sometimes up to 30 individuals, so they require adequate room to live and hunt. These wild dogs come into constant contact with snares and traps, as well as poisonings. Another huge issue they face is disease contracted from living in close proximity to humans and domestic animals — distemper and rabies can wipe out whole packs.

Painted dogs have the most successful kill rate of prey than any other carnivore in Africa, and it takes at least six pack members for a successful hunt.

Red Panda

Ailurus fulgens

Red panda populations are subject to a great number of threats impacting their status in the wild. Climate change is a major factor — as the planet gets warmer every year, they are forced up into the mountains at higher elevations where food is more scarce. Their diet consists majorly of bamboo (98%), which can be totally wiped out by forest fires. Like many small, adorable animals, red pandas are hunted for the illegal wildlife trade, as well as poached for their skin. Vast deforestation in Asia leaves their bright red coat more visible to hunters.

Although this species shares its name with the giant panda, they aren’t related. In fact, red pandas, as you can imagine from their appearance, are most closely related to raccoons. Even though their diet consists mainly of bamboo, they are classified as carnivores because they descended from common carnivore ancestors. A fun fact? Red pandas glow in the dark — the near luminescent white markings on a cub’s face help the mother find them in the dark.