In South Africa, the White lion is highly endangered with only an estimated 13 left in the wild.
They are threatened because they are frequently hunted for their unique fur produced by a rare gene. Improvement has occurred, for example in 2014 white lion cubs were born in Kruger National Park, SA.
Located in the Southern Hemisphere, the Southern Right Whale populations were severely depleted due to historic whaling.
However conservation and international environmental policy efforts over the last 30 years have led to significant recovery. As a result of this the IUCN lowered their risk level from Vulnerable in 1988 to Least Concern in 2008.
The European Mink is classed as ‘critically endangered’. They became endangered in the 19th century due to several factors including climate change, competition, habitat destruction and hunting as well as a decreasing supply of key food sources.
By Paul Im & Tom Lee
Year 9
NLCS Jeju