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World Tiger Day – 29 July

The tiger is the largest of the world’s big cats and this magnificent creature, with its distinctive orange and black stripes and beautifully marked face, has a day that is dedicated to it. This was first celebrated in 2010 and was founded at an international summit that had been called in response to the shocking news that 97% of all wild tigers had disappeared in the last century, with only around 3,000 left alive.

Tigers are on the brink of extinction and International World Tiger Day aims to bring attention to this fact and try to halt their decline. Many factors have caused their numbers to fall, including habitat loss, climate change, hunting and poaching and Tiger Day aims to protect and expand their habitats and raise awareness of the need for conservation.

Many international organisations are involved in the day, including the WWF, the IFAW and the Smithsonian Institute.  

Source: Text: DAYS of the YEAR   Image: Wikipedia

Endangered Species Day – 11 May

We live in a world full of many animals, insects, plants and creatures which are approaching risk of extinction – or are so close to extinction, that their species needs help immediately. When a species is defined as endangered, its numbers are especially low – in the last few thousands, hundreds, or even tens. And when the last of the species is gone, they are gone for good.

This day was created to keep us aware of how fragile the existence of some animals, plants, and insects is – and, most importantly, reminds us to take the time to learn about why it’s so important to protect endangered species from any further harm.

The History of Endangered Species Day
Since time began, there have been endangered species. Perhaps one of the earliest and most learned about extinctions in history is that of the dinosaurs. However, an endangered species is one which is still in the world today, but may not be much longer if the right steps aren’t taken.

The status of ‘endangered’ is decided by the International Union for Conversation of Nature. According to the IUCN, at least 40% of animal, insect and plant species across the world are at risk of extinction. Some ways of helping endangered species have included captive breeding, which sees endangered or rare species in captivity encouraged to breed in an effort to improve their numbers in the wild.

Reasons for endangerment are varied – this may be down to environmental changes, over-hunting by predators, poaching, the changing or destruction of habits by humans or natural disasters to name a few.

Source: Text: DAYSoftheYEAR    Image: NationalPedia