Tsinjo may be one of the most well-known wild aye-ayes (Daubentonia madagascariensis), a species of lemur, in the world. For more than a decade, a monitoring team from the Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership has spent long nights tracking her through the forests of Torotorofotsy, reporting on her health and learning how she uses her habitat. Because of their efforts, we know that she covers a huge territory similar in size to that of female orangutans!
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted all our projects this year. Lockdown restrictions and various worldwide safety protocols have left many threatened species exposed to poaching and other dangers, and there is a very real risk that we could lose decades of progress and conservation successes.
The Goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) is a medium-sized ungulate with fur colours that blend with the vast deserts and dry grasslands in their wide range. The largest population was located in Kazakhstan but in recent years, major declines were recorded in the country and across Central Asia. As a result, IUCN Save Our Species is now funding four different conservation projects.
Snow leopards, the iconic, well equipped cats that roam the steep mountains of Central Asia, are facing extinction. According to recent estimates per range country, approximately 7,500 individuals may remain in the wild. Making reliable estimates on their population size is quite difficult due to their secretive nature, sparse distribution and the tough remote terrain. As challenging as it is, there is a strong commitment from conservationists to save the solitary ‘ghost of the mountains’. In Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, these efforts are now supported by IUCN Save Our Species.
Nearly one quarter of the world’s primates are found only in Madagascar. These primates, lemurs, are seed distributers, helping to engineer the many different ecosystems of Madagascar. While incredibly diverse (ranging from the size of a mouse to a small child), they are also extremely vulnerable. The world’s lemur populations are declining. Nearly one-third of lemurs are Critically Endangered and 98% are Threatened with extinction. Many of these lemurs are hunted.
