As a result of conservation efforts, certain species that were once considered at risk of extinction are actually recovering. Inspired by these success stories, scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society in the Global Conservation Program have made a list of 9 wildlife species that have seen a vigorous recovery in their native habitat. Impressively, some of these species have bounced off the brink of survival in just a few decades: they prove that in the world of wildlife, it's not all pessimism and doom.
At Thailand's Wai hakken (HKK) Wildlife Sanctuary, the long-term effort to reduce poaching has paid off for tigers (Pencela Tigris), with the number of tigers increasing from 41 in 2010 to 66 in 2019, an increase of more than 60%.
Humpback whales (giant new whales) have been hunted to the brink of extinction: before the ban on hunting was imposed in 1966, some places were reduced to less than 10 percent. They were listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1973.
Despite their bad past, some humpback whale populations have recovered to 90% of their pre-whaling populations. Internationally, most humpback whale populations have increased due to global conservation regulation, and the IUCN Red List classifies these large marine mammals as "least concerned."
The Burmese star turtle (Geochelone platypus), endemic to the arid regions of central Myanmar, was considered ecologically extinct after a sharp rise in demand for it in the wildlife market in the mid-1990s, leading to a sharp decline in populations. The WCS took the case to heart and launched an active breeding program in partnership with the Sea Turtle Survival Alliance and the Myanmar government.
The coalition, starting with about 175 people, mostly rescued from wildlife traffickers, established three "colonies" in wildlife sanctuaries — including breeding centers, animal husbandry and veterinary care — to prevent the complete extinction of species. As of 2019, there are more than 14,000 wild and captive animals, of which about 750 have been released into wild areas of protected areas.
Due to the unchecked collection of eggs and chicks, and the destruction of their submerged forest habitat, the world's rarest bird, the larger secondary fish (Leptoptitu los Dubius), has suffered a catastrophic blow, but the species is undergoing a significantly better-working twist as community rangers protect the flooded forests of Cambodia's Tnle Sap, southeast Asia's largest lake.
Cambodia's Ministry of Environment and WCS have developed a program where locals are paid to guard their nests (rather than deplete them). In just a decade, from 30 pairs to more than 200 pairs in 2019, accounting for 50% of the world.
The Kihansi spray clam (Endophosphamide Asperginis) is credited with being the first amphibian species successfully resurrected in the wild after being declared extinct. When a hydroelectric dam was built near the Kihansi River Falls, these Tanzanian natives were almost doomed to failure – the only place they exist on Earth – which dramatically changed the fog environment they needed to survive. The clams were classified as "wild extinctions" by the IUCN in 2009, but they were planning for the survival of the species before the Bronx Zoo was asked by the Tanzanian government to collect and breed some individuals. Eventually, the government created an artificial atomization system to replicate the spray area on the falls: since then, the Bronx Zoo has sent about 8,000 clams back to Tanzania to release them into their natural habitat.
With a focus on nesting ground management, semi-natural hatcheries and local guardianship in Indonesia's Bogani Nanivataborn National Park, endemic and endangered males (giant Marlowe) are recovering rapidly. As a result of the bronx Zoo's successful development of egg hatching methods, more than 15,000 male chicks were released into the wild.