December 4 is World Wildlife Conservation Day is a time to celebrate and protect our world's diverse wildlife population. World Wildlife Conservation Day was established by a pledge by the U.S. State Department to protect wildlife species worldwide. The main objectives of this day are to raise awareness about the species that are endangered or under threat of extinction and to promote the protection of the decreasing numbers of wildlife species across the globe.
- Wildlife Conservation - Adult Non-Fiction
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Beloved Beasts: Fighting for Life in an Age of Extinction by Michelle Nijhuis
The Last Rhinos: My Battle to Save One of the World's Greatest Creatures by Lawrence Anthony
A Wild Promise: An Illustrated Celebration of the Endangered Species Act by Allen Crawford
Our Native Bees: North America's Endangered Pollinators and the Fight to Save Them by Paige Embry
Saving Nature One Yard at a Time: How to Protect and Nurture Our Native Species by David C. Deardorff
The Book of Vanishing Species: Illustrated Lives by Beatrice Forshall
Learn more about conservation efforts from the World Wildlife Fund. Want to take action to save animals around the world? Find out how.
- Tiger
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Tiger - Panthera tigris
Status: Endangered
Population: About 5,574
Continental Tiger - The continental tiger is found on the Asian mainland. This subspecies comprises Bengal, Malayan, Indochinese, and Amur tiger populations. The Caspian tiger is extinct in the wild, while the South China tiger is believed to be functionally extinct.
Sunda Tiger - This subspecies was once found across several parts of the Sunda islands in Indonesia. Today, all remaining Sunda tigers are found only in Sumatra, now that tigers in Java and Bali are extinct.
Save the...Tigers by Christine Taylor-Butler
If Tigers Disappeared by Lily Williams
Tiger by Melissa Gish
- Sea Turtle
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Sea Turtle (Cheloniidae and Dermochelyidae families)
Status: Endangered
Why They Matter: Sea turtles are a fundamental link in marine ecosystems. They help maintain the health of seagrass beds and coral reefs that benefit commercially valuable species such as shrimp, lobster, and tuna. Sea turtles are the live representatives of a group of reptiles that have existed on Earth and traveled our seas for the last 100 million years. Turtles have major cultural significance and tourism value. Five of the seven species are found around the world, mainly in tropical and subtropical waters. The remaining two species, though, have relatively restricted ranges: Kemp's ridley is found mainly in the Gulf of Mexico and the flatback turtle around northern Australia and southern Papua New Guinea.
Mission: Sea Turtle Rescue - All About Sea Turtles and How to Save Them by Karen Romano Young
Yoshi and the Ocean: A Sea Turtle's Incredible Journey Home by Lindsay Moore
Run, Sea Turtle, Run: A Hatchling's Journey by Stephen R. Swinburne
- Orangutan
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Orangutan - Pongo abelii, Pongo pygmaeus
Status: Critically Endangered
Population: about 104,700 (Bornean), 13,846 (Sumatran), 800 (Tapanuli)
Why They Matter: Orangutans are "gardeners" of the forest, playing a vital role in seed dispersal in their habitats. They live in tropical forests and prefer forest in river valleys and floodplains of their respective islands. Orangutans' extremely low reproductive rate makes their populations highly vulnerable. Females give birth to one infant at a time about every 3-5 years, so these species can take a long time to recover from population declines. With human pressure only increasing, orangutans face an increasing risk of extinction.
Orangutan Hats and Other Tools Animals Use by Richard Haynes
Orangutan Orphanage by Suzi Eszterhas
- Black Rhino
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Black Rhino - Diceros bicornis
Status: Critically Endangered
Population: Almost 6,500
Why They Matter: Rhinos are one of the oldest groups of mammals, virtually living fossils. They play an important role in their habitats, and in countries like Namibia, rhinos are an important source of income from ecotourism. This is especially true for local communities in the arid northwestern parts of the country, which are home to Africa’s largest free-roaming black rhino population. Since black rhinos need large territories to survive, their protection benefits many other species, including elephants.
Anna & Samia: The True Story of Saving a Black Rhino by Paul Meisel
- Giant Panda
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Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)
Status: Vulnerable
Population: 1,864 in the wild
Why They Matter: The biological diversity of the panda’s habitat is unparalleled in the temperate world and rivals that of tropical ecosystems, making the giant panda an excellent example of an umbrella species conferring protection on many other species where pandas live. In other words, when we protect pandas, we invariably protect other animals that live around them, such as multicolored pheasants, the golden monkey, takin, and crested ibis. Pandas also bring sustainable economic benefits to many local communities through ecotourism.
The Great Panda Tale by Laura Buller
Giant Panda: A First Field Guide to the Bamboo-loving Bear from China by Vanessa Hull