![]() Their population started declining significantly by the mid to late 1800’s due to deforestation and logging in their habitat. They were named for their large white colored bill, which is unusual among other North American woodpeckers. They are black and white birds with a pointed crest that’s bright red on males. The ivory-billed woodpecker used to be the third-largest woodpecker worldwide and lived in the forests of 13 states, including Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, North Carolina, and Missouri. Scientific name: Campephilus principalis.Ivory-billed woodpecker Image credit: Arthur A. Read on to learn about why they became extinct and the years they were officially declared extinct. Here are 13 animals you sadly won’t find in the wild anymore. 13 Animals That Have Recently Gone Extinct Over the last 5 centuries, it is estimated that over 900 species have become extinct worldwide and over 16,000 species have become threatened with extinction.Īs a tribute to the species we’ve lost, here’s a list of 13 animals that have recently gone extinct. While there are plenty of stories of conservation efforts succeeding to save endangered species, some species fall through the gaps and aren’t saved in time. Scientists take labeling a species extinct seriously, and will continue to search for a species in the wild for years after the last known sighting before calling it quits. However animals are unfortunately still going extinct today. Most people think of dinosaurs or other animals from pre-civilization eras when they think of extinction. Guaranteed,” said Braman.When an animal goes extinct, it means the species has died out and there are none left on earth. Braman is hopeful that once there, rhino poaching will begin to drop. This summer, the dogs will travel to South Africa and report for duty. With Ortiz’s help, they create multiple tracking scenarios for the dogs on Braman’s Refugio County, Texas ranch, working with the dogs day and night for months. ![]() Since returning from his trip, training the dogs for this task has become Braman’s main focus. “The ability for free-running dogs to track a poacher (whose scent is) that many hours old is a capacity we have never done before - this truly is the answer, and the fact that these dogs have been trained not only to track man but to actually (allow officials to) arrest a person makes them a unique tool that I think has the chance of changing the entire poaching landscape,” said Carter. While there are currently over 29,000 rhinoceros still living, prior to the 19th century – and the increase in poaching – there were hundreds of thousands, National Geographic reports. Unfortunately, according to the Victoria Advocate, horns are often removed in such a way that the animal never recovers. ![]() Because the horns are made of keratin, if they were shaved down, the animals would be able to re-grow them. Poachers target rhinoceros for their horns and extract them in a non-renewable way. In a 2016 investigation, National Geographic brought to light the illegal wildlife market where rhinoceros horns are valued at nearly $3,000 per pound and used in Chinese medicine and crafts. On March 20, the last male northern white rhinoceros died at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya and, according to National Geographic, rare black rhinoceros are nearly extinct. “With rhino horn becoming the most valuable commodity on Earth and rhinos having been poached to the brink of extinction, this is a topic of much conversation,” Ivan Carter, founder of the Alliance, told the Victoria Advocate in an email. With the help of retired K-9 handler and trainer Esequiel “Zeke” Ortiz, Braman has already trained 50 dogs for the cause and has partnered with the Ivan Carter Wildlife Conservation Alliance to transport his trained dogs back to South Africa to catch poachers. “Since then, there's not a day that I don't wake up thinking about those rhinos,” said Braman, who turned his dog training focus to his new cause: tracking the poachers behind this wildlife destruction. He came across one of the massive gray animals during his trip without its trademark horns and barely breathing, the Victoria Advocate reports. Last February, Braman traveled to South Africa and saw firsthand the level of destruction and devastation poachers have inflicted upon the dwindling rhinoceros populations. Yet, a recent trip to South Africa changed his focus and now he’s training his dogs to hunt a different sort of animal: South African poachers. The Texas-based rancher and businessman have been honing his skills for years, training coonhounds to recover and hunt for these animals within the Lone Star State. Training dogs to track bobcats, mountain lions and coyotes is something that Joe Braman does well.
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