Fascinating Nature
Endangered Animals
When a kind of animal disappears, it is gone forever. But there is good news too: people in India are working hard to help some rare animals make a comeback!
Did you know?
Cheetahs were declared extinct in India in 1952. Seventy years later, in September 2022, eight cheetahs from Namibia were brought to Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
The pygmy hog is the world's smallest pig. People once thought it had died out, but it was found again in 1971 in the tall grasslands of Assam.
The Great Indian Bustard is one of the heaviest birds that can fly. An adult can weigh up to 18 kg! It is critically endangered, and power lines are one big danger to it.
Try this: Save-Me Poster
Pick one endangered animal of India, such as the Great Indian Bustard or the pygmy hog. Make a poster showing its picture, where it lives, two dangers it faces and three things people can do to help it. Put the poster up at home or in class, and explain it to someone who has never heard of this animal.
Go further: The Red List: Nature's Report Card
Since 1964, a world group called the IUCN has kept the Red List, which tells us how safe each kind of living thing is. Scientists sort species into groups: Least Concern, Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild and Extinct. The closer a species is to 'Extinct', the more help it needs. Well over a lakh species have been checked so far!