The Heartlands Animals

Amur Leopard | Orangutan | Eastern Lowland Gorilla
Bengal Tiger | Leatherback Turtle | Polar Bear



IUCN STATUS: Critically Endangered


POPULATION: Less than 30 in the wild, Only 6 females




NEWS FLASH: April 2007, Female Amur Leopard shot by poacher! Click here for story







Threats
Action

* Poaching
Despite being the rarest cat on Earth - Amur Leopards are still being killed just for their fur and bones. These body parts are then used to make 'Aphrodisiacs' and even still used as traditional Chinese Medicines.

* Forest Fires and Deforestation
While forest fires are being set to clear land for human projects - Amur Leopard prey such as Deer and other herbivores are becoming increasingly rare.

* Industrialization
An ever looming threat to the future existence of all of Siberia's forest creatures is the ever growing Russian oil industry - Which is spurned on by the developing world's need for new energy resources.

* Donate to existing conservation teams fighting to conserve these species through various methods such as:
- Anti Poaching and Fire-fighting teams,
- Rural livelihood projects.
- Research and Tracking.
- Awareness Raising
- Education programs.

* Organise an Amur Leopard Event.

* Download and display the Amur Leopard Conservation Emblem.
Click here for more info.

* Support Zoo conservation projects by visiting with friends and family.

- Financial support is always appreciated.

LINKS


  • ALTA - The Amur Leopard and Tiger Alliance is an unique alliance formed by the groups allied with The Amur Leopard Conservation Support Program (ALCSP) - Three of these organisations, fighting to secure a future for the Amur Leopard, are: The Tigris Foundation, The Zoological Society of London and AMUR


  • Tigris Foundation Dedicated to the survival of the Amur tiger and leopard in the wild. Program includes: Anti-poaching, Forest fire-fighting, Compensation of livestock kills by leopards and tigers, Education (a comprehensive program), Tiger, leopard and prey population monitoring, Habitat analysis and ungulate recovery projects.




IUCN STATUS:Endangered (Borneo orangutan)
Critically Endangered (Sumatran orangutan)


POPULATION: 12,000 to 15,000 (Borneo)
5,000 to 7,300 (Sumatra)

"Wild orangutans are disappearing at a rate of 5,000 orangutans per year!" - BOS International






Threats
Action

* Unsustainable Palm Oil Industry.
Where Orangutan habitat is being burnt or logged to make way for palm oil plantations, resident Orangutan are being killed at an alarming rate.

* Loss of Habitat – Illegal Logging & Forest Fires
(Often Palm Oil & Forestry related)
Orangutans are dying as a direct consequence of Habitat loss due to palm oil plantations. Slash and burn 'Land clearing' has also made Indonesia one of the worlds major carbon polluters.

*Hunting & The Illegal Pet/Zoo Trade
Forced into new farmlands by sheer hunger & confusion at the disappearance of their forest home - Adult Orangutan are hunted down, and their offspring then sold into the Illegal pet trade.


~ Products Containing Palm Oil: ~

‘Chocolate, ice creams, instant meals’, bread, cakes, cereal, biscuits, chips, margarine, paints, soaps, cosmetics, shampoo, body washes and gels, washing powders, and many more...

Palm oil is often a hidden ingredient. Product labels often list palm oil as ‘vegetable oil’, resulting in consumers not being aware if they are buying products containing sunflower seed oil, rape oil or palm oil.

~ Palm Oil Links & PDF’s ~

* View the Heartlands Orangutan Trailer /video clip “Family Affair” on the the Trailers page of this website Click here

* Visit The BOS UK - Products to Avoid page about many products threatening the Orangutan.

* Try the first ever palm oil free soap from wildlife friendly handmade cosmetic company LUSH!
Read the article | See the video

* Visit one or all of the Palm oil links listed below and spread the news about palm oil threatening the existence of Orangutan.

* Ask your local government and supermarkets about their use of palm oil and encourage the introduction of a "palm oil eco label." - Heartlands is searching for some good example letters, Stay Tuned!

Over 1000 orangutan live in rescue and rehabilitation centres in Borneo alone. It costs US$1,500 per orangutan, per year, to cover food, medicine, care, staff and technician costs.

* Organisations such as BOS and BOS International need your financial help to maintain these centres.

* Volunteer for Orangutan refuge and rehabilitation centres and get up close and personal with the Orangutan!

LINKS

73 – 88% of timber logged in Indonesia is Illegal – UNEP




IUCN STATUS: Endangered

POPULATION: "Only 706 mountain Gorillas survive today in the wild"– International Gorilla Conservation Program


FACT: The Eastern Lowland Gorilla population has dropped by 80% - 90% in just the last 7 years.









Threats
Action

* Destruction of Habitat
New roads built for the Tantalum mines allow more people to access hitherto inaccessible jungle areas. This has lead to a huge increase in ‘Bushmeat’, killing of Gorillas and habitat destruction.

* Poaching and Bushmeat:
Ongoing conflict and civil unrest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has lead to hunger and poverty, and increasing dependence on meat hunted in the forest.

* Hunting Snares & Traps
Set for other wildlife, these often injure or kill Gorillas instead.

* Disease
As their DNA structure is similar to that of humans, Gorillas are susceptible to human diseases brought to the jungle by hunters & miners.

* An interesting link about Bush Meat

* Bush-meat Crisis Task Force Download the PDF available on this page and share it with others.

* AWF's Rapid Response Network
Join AWF's new network of cutting-edge online advocates.
It's easy: Receive alerts. Click. Make a difference.

* Wildlife Direct
“… many (rangers) are now paid by a European Union-funded conservation group called WildlifeDirect. Co founded last January by Dr Richard Leakey, the group solicits funds from donors with the guarantee that 100 percent of their money goes straight to the rangers.” - Newsweek, August 2007

LINKS




IUCN STATUS:Critically Endangered

POPULATION: (In India) 1300 – 1500 Half the population from the previous count in 2002.

FACT: Despite being the National animal of both India and Bangladesh, in less than 100 years 3 subspecies of Tiger have become extinct.








Threats
Action

* Human Population Explosion
A sharp increase in human population numbers has lead to ever growing pressure on tiger environments.
The resulting Human-Tiger contacts are often fatal, with
the Tiger usually loosing its life.

* Habitat Destruction:
The last remaining Tiger habitats are being razed to the ground to make space for human settlements.

* Hunting/Poaching:
Tigers are killed for their fur, teeth and bones, which are then used to produce Asian aphrodisiacs and medicines.

*Fear and Revenge Killings:
Local people trying to protect their families and land often kill exploring tigers.

* To petition the Indian government
visit WWF India

* Do not buy products derived from tigers.

* Join Tiger and other conservation foundations to stay informed on the latest news.

* Donate, fundraise or volunteer to help with tiger associations worldwide

* Adopt/sponsor a tiger, for example from and organisation such as
Born Free

LINKS


  • The Sundarbans Tiger Project - A Bangladesh Forest Department initiative developed in 2001 and working in the Sundarbans which "contain one of the largest populations of wild tigers left in the world." The project also encompasses capacity building and conservation awareness activities.


  • WPSI - Wildlife Protection Society of India Provides facts and maps, tiger status and statistics and Anti Poaching and Wildlife Trade Programmes.


  • Born Free Foundation Born Free is an international wildlife charity involved in major International projects and Campaigns devoted to animal welfare, conservation and education. Their mission is to ‘keep wildlife in the wild’, and ‘take worldwide action to protect threatened species and stop individual animal suffering’.


  • CyberTiger, National Geographic - For KIDS. An Interactive game-like webpage for children. Here Children are zookeepers for a new tiger, and they can both understand and gain appreciation for this rare species.


  • Greenpeace Ban the Bulb petition Greenpeace is gathering 1 million petitions to persuade the Indian Government to Ban inefficient ordinary light bulbs.




IUCN STATUS: Critically Endangered

POPULATION: “worldwide population is estimated between 26,000 to 43,000” – National Geographic

This ancient marine turtle has seen the world evolve for 100 million years, yet is now threatened to become extinct within the next ten.

“The number sea turtles captured by industrial fishing is staggering— estimated at 250,000 per year, mostly from industrial high seas longlining.”
- SWOT (State of the Worlds Sea Turtles)








Threats
Action

* Oceanic Pollution:
Turtles choke on Marine litter such as plastic bags, which they mistake for their favorite food – jellyfish.

Did you know that between 4 trillion and 5 trillion plastic bags are used each year globally, and each one can take between 500 to 1,000 years to decompose?

- Conservation International

* Nesting Beach Resort Development:
Poorly planned tourism development projects expose
Nesting sites, and fragile eggs are often trod on and destroyed.

* Industrial Fishing Techniques:
Many Leatherbacks are accidentally caught as ‘by catch’ by coastal and high seas fishing fleets. Yearly thousands of turtle carcasses are thrown overboard.

* Egg Harvest:
Turtle eggs are harvested as a delicacy, or eaten as an aphrodisiac.

* Poaching
Nesting females are often killed for their eggs and meat.

*If you live in or plan on visiting a Leatherback Turtle environment see the How You Can Help Link on the Leatherback Trust website.

* Dispose of all rubbish responsibly, especially when on or near the ocean.

* Invite friends and family or your local community for a clean up the beach day.

* Say no to plastic bags. Use a cloth bag or recycled bag instead.

* Take the plastic bag pledge Click Here

* Be aware of the type of seafood you eat and how it is gets to your plate. (Heartlands is looking for a "Good Seafood guide" to recommend to you here so stay tuned)

* Fundraise and/or donate money or goods to leatherback organisations.

* Create artwork for sale or auction and donate the proceeds to Leatherback organisations.

* Volunteer with organisations such as Earthwatch to get in touch with individual turtle projects.

LINKS




IUCN STATUS: Vulnerable (IUCN) Considered Endangered in US

POPULATION: Less than 25,000

"If current warming trends continue, Polar Bears may disappear within 100 years or even less." - WWF

Despite being listed as endangered on the IUCN red List 700-800 polar bears are shot by
trophy hunters each year.







Threats
Action

* Tourism & Trophy Hunting.
Perceived as a ‘prize’ trophy to foreign hunters, Large bears are the first to be to be gunned down. These 'elder' bears are an important part of their offsprings survival education. Without their parents experience, younger Polar bears do not receive crucial lessons in how to adapt to a rapidly changing environment.
700 polar bears are shot by trophy hunters each year.

* Climate Change & Sea Ice Reduction:
Living in one of the planet's harshest environments, Polar Bears adapt their hunting tactics to meet new challenges caused by a changing environment. As prey becomes more scarce - and bears less able to reach them - threats to the entire polar ecology become more pronounced.

* Environmental Contaminants & Chemical Pollutants:
Increasing marine pollution is contaminating marine life with increasing amounts of poisonous trace chemicals. while bear numbers are already on the decline it remains to be seen if this affects future generations.
* View the HSUS – Polar Bear Hunting video on You Tube Here.

* Sign petitions against trophy hunting Such as the one found on The Petition Site

* Visit the HSUS What you can do to protect the polar bear page.

“ Click here to tell Polar Bear Project of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to stop allowing the import of polar bear trophies into the United States. “ - HSUS

* How does your lifestyle affect global warming? Contact your climate action group for more information.

* Take your children to the Zoo and/or to see the film Arctic Tale

LINKS


  • HSUS - (The Humane Society of the United States) Celebrating Animals and Confronting Cruelty. HSUS has a political strength and track record of effectiveness, with many achievement and victories for animals in Congress, state legislatures, courtrooms and corporate boardrooms.


  • IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group This was the first major scientific gathering with the primary task to discuss conservation measures regarding one species, the polar bear (Ursus maritimus).


  • Nature Canada