Cosmic-Observation

United Nations World Wildlife Day

Posted on March 3, 2024

The world is full of amazing creatures from every possible medium. From the birds in the air to the majestic whales of the sea, wildlife abounds in the most unusual and unexpected places. Wildlife benefits us in many ways. World Wildlife Day is a day to remind us of our responsibilities to our world and the lifeforms we share it with. Even though we might like to think so, sometimes, humans aren’t the only living things on Earth. In fact, we’re far outnumbered by other living things, from animals and plants to fungi and bacteria. Wildlife isn’t just something that we passively observe. It’s part of our world and something we need to care for. World Wildlife Day is your chance to celebrate all wildlife, from the smallest insect to blue whales. No matter what you love about wildlife, you can spend the day taking action to help protect it.

On March 3rd, 1973, the United Nations General Assembly took a stand to protect Endangered Species throughout the world. Whether plant or animal, the importance of these species in every area of human life […] could not be understated. At the time, hundreds of endangered species were being threatened every year and extinction was at a staggeringly high rate. CITES was put into place (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) to ensure that the world would not continue to hemorrhage [any] species.

Days of the Year

Celebrated annually on March 3rd, World Wildlife Day is a holiday that not only celebrates the diversity of the world’s wild flora and fauna but, also raises awareness about the dangers they face due to human activities. Wildlife today faces many different challenges, which include but, are not limited to, loss of habitat, industrialized farming, commercial development, and overgrazing. Poaching and the trafficking of animal hides, tusks or fur, also pose significant risks to several species, including tigers, rhinos and elephants.

While extinction is a natural phenomenon, many scientists estimate that we are losing species at a rate approximately 10,000 times higher than the natural rate of extinction. Animals that had already gone extinct by 2016 include the heath hen, the Caribbean monk seal, the baiji dolphin, the golden toad, the Caspian tiger and the Tasmanian tiger. The most endangered species, as of 2017, are the ivory-billed woodpecker, Javan rhinoceros, western lowland gorilla, the tiger, the Amur leopard, the Chinese giant salamander and the red wolf.

Initially proposed by Thailand at a United Nations General Assembly, World Wildlife Day was established as an international holiday on December 20th, 2013. It was decided that it would be celebrated on March 3rd because that is the day on which the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was adopted.

Holidays Calendar

What do the orangutans of Borneo, the elephants of Sumatra and the Black Rhino all have in common? Aside from all being totally cool animals that we watch on YouTube, the more sobering truth about these creatures is that they’re all critically endangered species. [On] World Wildlife Day, the UN and its partners are planning to raise awareness of the gravity of this dire situation. An animal is only placed on the critically endangered species list if the International Union for Conservation of Nature believes the animal faces a very high risk for extinction. Russia’s Amur Leopard, found in the far eastern recesses of the country, is on the verge of extinction, with only about 40 left in the world. Unfortunately, this list goes on and on.

National Today