Robert Irwin recently appeared on LADbible’s "The Honesty Box." He answered anonymous questions from the public. One person asked which animal would go extinct next.
Irwin found the question tough. He mentioned Sumatran tigers, with only about 400 to 500 left. He also brought up Javan rhinos. He noted it was "insane" to talk about iconic animals like tigers and rhinos going extinct during his lifetime.
Hope for Endangered Species
Irwin then shared a positive example. He spoke about the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative in Kazakhstan. This group was a finalist for the Earthshot Prize. They helped bring back the Saiga antelope. Its population grew from under 20,000 to about 4 million.
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Start Your News DetoxIrwin said the Saiga antelope was "almost gone." Now, it's back to healthy numbers. He added, "Even when an animal is on the brink of extinction, there is still hope."
The Saiga antelope's recovery shows what happens when conservation groups, government rangers, experts, students, and local communities work together.
Saving Sumatran Tigers
Similar efforts are happening for the Sumatran tiger. It is critically endangered. Poaching, illegal wildlife trade, and habitat loss threaten these tigers. They are the last tiger species in Indonesia. Balinese and Javanese tigers went extinct in the 1900s.
Organizations like the International Tiger Project fund anti-poaching patrols. The Sumatran Ranger Project works with communities to reduce conflicts between humans and tigers.
There is a sign of hope for these rare tigers. Fota Wildlife Park in Ireland announced the birth of two Sumatran tiger cubs on June 16th. This was the first time more than one cub was born in a single litter at the park.
This news came around the same time as the birth of three endangered Asiatic lion cubs on July 1. Wild Asiatic lions only live in India's Gir National Forest.
John Leahy, a lead ranger at Fota Wildlife Park, was thrilled. He said it was amazing to announce the birth of both Sumatran tiger and Asiatic lion cubs this summer.
