As Neko Case sang on her 2009 LP Middle Cyclone, "People Got A Lotta Nerve." At the time the song came out, she explained in an interview with iTunes that she wrote the song "after watching a lot of nature television in a hotel where they had the nature disaster shows. And there were lots of orcas biting their trainers’ legs off and people being attacked by tigers in zoos and you know elephants stamping people to death. It’s just kind of bizarre that animals act like animals and people act so shocked." And who can blame these animals for being so angry? Human beings are said to be the "greatest threat to the survival of endangered species through poaching, habitat destruction, and the effects of climate change." Yowch.
Since 1973, the Endangered Species Act has helped to "protect critically imperiled species from extinction," however, in the past 30 days, federal agencies are proposing legislative amendments and regulatory changes that would impact the effectiveness of this historic law. Our friends at the Woodland Park Zoo have coordinated a campaign to collect as many signatures as possible from the public, all in support of keeping the Endangered Species Act strong and effective, which they will submit to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
With habitats shrinking, biodiversity declining, and animals facing threats from human development and a changing climate, KEXP wanted to take a moment to spotlight some of the magnificent animals currently on the Endangered List and the bands they've inspired.
Critically Endangered: Cross River Gorilla, Eastern Lowland Gorilla, Mountain Gorilla, Western Lowland Gorilla
Critically Endangered: Red Wolf
Endangered: Mexican Wolf
Endangered: Visayan Deer, Barbary Deer, Corsican Red Deer, Yarkand Deer, Eld's Brow-Antlered Deer, Swamp Deer, Bactrian Deer, Shansi Sika Deer, Ryukyu Sika Deer, South China Sika Deer, North China Sika Deer, Formosan Sika Deer, Persian Fallow Deer, Musk Deer, Cedros Island Mule Deer, Key Deer, Columbian White-Tailed Deer, Pampas Deer, Indochina Hog Deer, Calamianes (=Philippine) Deer, Kuhl's (=Bawean) Deer, Marsh Deer
Endangered: Red Panda, Giant Panda
Endangered: Simien Fox, Santa Catalina Island Fox, San Joaquin Kit Fox
Critically Endangered: Sumatran Elephant
Endangered: Asian Elephant, Indian Elephant, Borneo Pygmy Elephant, Sri Lankan Elephant
Threatened: Forest Elephant
Vulnerable: Savanna Elephant, African elephant
Near Threatened: Jaguar
Endangered: Blue Whale, Fin Whale, Sei Whale, North Atlantic Right Whale, North Pacific Right Whale, Southern Resident Killer Whale, False Killer Whale
Vulnerable: Sperm Whale
(NOTE: while their population is declining, Ostriches are currently not endangered.)
Vulnerable: Snow Leopard, Clouded Leopard
Critically Endangered: Black Rhinoceros, Javan Rhinoceros, Sumatran Rhinocerous, Northern White Rhinoceros
Threatened: Southern White Rhinoceros, Great Indian Rhinoceros
For a complete list of animals on the endangered list, visit the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service or the World Wildlife Fund.
