4 Cool Animals Saved from Extinction

1. Vancouver Island Marmot

This oversized ground squirrel is only found in sub-alpine meadows on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. In 2003, the total population was less than 30 wild individuals on 5 mountain peaks. Habitat fragmentation from logging and increased predation from eagles and cougars caused the decline. An intensive captive breeding program was established by capturing pups born in the wild, and to date, over 220 captive-bred marmots have been released into the wild from this breeding stock. In 2009, Vancouver Island Marmots occurred on 24 mountains, with 68 pups born in the wild that year, bringing their total wild population close to 250. In 2008, I had the pleasure of assisting in these recovery efforts, and it's great to see such a dedicated team be rewarded for their endless work.

2. Cahow (Bermuda Petrel)

The Cahow or Bermuda Petrel is a beautiful seabird that bred in Bermuda in the west Atlantic Ocean, but after the Spanish introduced pigs in the 1600's, their fate was almost sealed. Thought extinct for over 300 years, 18 pairs were discovered in 1951, nesting on a small (less than 1 hectare) rocky islet. In 2004, chicks born on this islet were translocated to nearby Nonsuch Island (a now predator free island and 6 times larger), where they were placed in artificial nesting burrows. Many seabirds nest only on the exact island they were born, so it was hoped that some of these chicks would one day return as adults to breed. In 2009, the celebration began, as a returned pair of Cahow successfully hatched a chick on Nonsuch for the first time in almost 400 years.

3. Black Robin

In 1980, only 5 Black Robins remained on earth, including a single fertile female, "Old Blue". This extraordinary bird, with the help of conservationists, brought the species back from the brink. The first clutch of eggs she would lay, were collected and placed in another Robin's nest, the Tomtit, who unknowingly happily raised her chicks. However, thinking the first clutch had failed, Old Blue would lay more eggs, which she incubated herself. This technique allowed the Robins to reproduce at a much faster rate, and today, 250 can be found in the wild on New Zealand's Chatham Islands.

4. Southern Right Whale

Last year, as Jaime and I traveled across Australia, we stopped at a place along the southern coastline called Head of Bight. Head of Bight turned out to be a major nursery for mother whales and their calves, and we saw many. However, this was not always the case. Hundreds of thousands of Southern Right Whales were slaughtered in 1800's, and numbers dwindled to around 4,000. In the 1930's, whales were protected from commercial whaling, though many countries continued to harvest them. It is only today that they are returning to many parts of Australia and New Zealand, and it is estimated their population has risen to 10,000.