With the WWF releasing its list of the 10 threatened species to watch out for in 2010 we can only wonder just how many other species are near extinction. From the aww-inspiring Pandas to the amazing Polar Bears, there are so many animals suffering from habitat loss and heart-less poaching. All animals in this world deserve a chance to live regardless how bizarre they look or how dangerous they may be but it is always the cutest animals that melt our hearts. These 6 adorable animals are near extinction and they need our help. If we don’t spread the word one day these cute faces will no longer be around for us to admire.

Red Panda

Who doesn’t find pandas adorable? While the white and black pandas take center stage including some sweet face time in all Panda Express commercials, there’s another species of panda that needs our attention. Also known as Fire Fox, these adorable red fur shaggy tailed animals are slightly larger than a house cat which makes them uber cute and huggable. These adorable faces, like many other animals around the world, are facing extinction due to deforestation and the number of poachers who prey on their fur. These furry friends need your help and you can start by “liking” their Facebook Fan Page and if you can, make a donation to the Red Panda Network

Axolotl Salamander

To anyone that adores pink things we’ve found an animal you’re going to absolutely drool over and want to help. These smiley, alien-looking cutie pies are also known as “Mexican
Walking Fish” and are found near the waters of Mexico City. What’s really cool about them is their ability to regenerate most of its body parts. How cool is that? Sadly, these amazing looking creatures are facing extinction due to habitat destruction and water pollution.
Seriously, how cute are they?

Egyptian Tortoise

One of the world’s smallest tortoise and possibly the cutest reptiles in the world, the Egyptian Tortoise, is near extinction and needs your help. These adorable creatures that reach no more than 6 inches in size are found in the arid environments of the Mediterranean coastal desert between Libya and Israel. Their miniature size, the peril of this tortoise, makes it a hot item for illegal pet traders and it is often our desire to put these adorable creatures in our home environment that leads many of them to their death. Many of them die during their stressful shipment along with the threats of exposure to foreign pathogen.

Orangutan

Seriously, how can your heart not melt at the sight of this Orangutan? Sadly, due to their decline in population these apes may not be around for a long time. Their biggest threat, deforestation, is caused by the high demand of palm oil in places like Indonesia and Malaysia. Believe it or not we, as consumers, are putting these adorable animals in danger. This palm oil, a vegetable oil, is found in 1 in every 10 products found in stores shelves including beauty products. Reports are saying that 90% of the Orangutan’s habitat has already been destroyed. If we don’t take steps to spread the word of forest conservation the Orangutans could be the first apes to face extinction. Places like the Bukit Lawang rehabilitation center in Indonesia are helping these mammals by providing them safe shelter from hunting and deforestation but they still need our help.

Iberian Lynx

These uber-cute cats are near extinction with only a few hundred living in the wild. Once found throughout the Iberian Peninsula and south of France, today their territory has reduced to the small areas of central and southwest Spain and the Algarve Mountains of Portugal. What should cause us great concern is that the Iberian Lynx is listed as a Category 1 endangered species meaning there’s only about a 100 or so still in the wild. Their lives are threaten each day by their lack of food supply but we’re also causing to their demise by setting traps for other animals around their turf and by cars as we build roads over their habitat. Seriously, we can’t do more to control their habitat?

Hawaiian Monk Seal

With their itty bitty eyes, long whiskers and peaceful nature, seals pull on every string of our hearts and we’re sad to say these adorable animals are facing extinction. When the bodies of these cute mammals are not found entangled in marine debris, they often fall prey to the deadly jaws of sharks. Due to the shortage of the marine food supply, these animals also face starvation and it is the lack of food that often leaves them weak and such an easy prey for sharks. Their biggest daily threat believe it or not is us humans who can’t seem to give them their space in the Hawaiian waters. To help protect their seals, the people of Hawaii created the Kauai Monk Seal Watch Program to create awareness and protection for these endangered creatures.

Friends, these adorable faces deserve to be around for many years. It is up to us to raise awareness and force for habitat conservation. If we don’t support the fight for the protection of all endangered animals one day they the last one of their species will take its last breath. Our future generations deserve to see these cuddly faces.

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