What do we lose if each one of these animals becomes extinct?
With a quarter of all mammals, half of all amphibians, and an eighth of all bird species at risk of extinction, The Gabby Wild Foundation, Inc. is conserving twelve threatened species in an eco-fashion-meets-conservation campaign called "12 in 12 for 12". These 12 biologically, ecologically, geographically, genetically, and evolutionarily unique few are just the beginning of our conservation work!
Circle of Life
One of the top predators in the food chain, leading to potential change of the entire food chain of the Far East Russian eco-system.
Scientific Phenomenon
A complex vertebrate capable of a unique genetic phenomenon: the presumably temperature-induced ability to grow their fur up to 7.5 cm in the winter and only 2.5 cm in summer.
Scientific Phenomenon
A seemingly uniquely radioactive resistant specimen if proven to truly have no effects from the radioactive waste that has been dumped in the Lop Nur Desert (where the largest population of Bactrian camels live) for the past 50 years. Understanding of radioactive resistance could lead to safer explorative space travel and nuclear disaster treatments and preventatives.
Scientific Phenomenon
A potential cure to hyperglycaemia and an incessant need for Type I diabetics to take more insulin than needed. Drinking only 0.5 L of camel milk/day could have reduced the amount of sugar in their blood stream, according to preliminary studies.
Prehistoric Survivor
Another frog species whose now-extinct ancestors survived the extinction of the dinosaurs. The purple frog is the only living representative of a lineage of frogs that evolved over 130 million years ago.
Circle of Life
An indicator species for the health of a river system that millions of people rely on.
Scientific Phenomenon
The ability to use a unique form of sonar for our oceanography work. These functionally blind fresh water dolphins require echolocation to see. In fact, 87% of the time, they make little clicks (not whistles like most dolphins) for echolocation of food triangulation. The rest of their sounds are to communicate with each other.
Circle of Life
A water purity indicator: its decline is due not only to overfishing but also severe pollution.
Unique Fact
The largest living amphibian in the world.
Circle of Life
An ambassadorial animal to promote conservation of an ecologically precious area where the Brahmaputra, Ganges, and Yangtse Rivers, have their origins in the mountains of the Eastern Himalayas and parts of southwestern China where red pandas are found. These rivers provide water to 1/2 of China, northern and western India, Nepal,Tibet, Bhutan, and Mayanmar.
Circle of Life
A pollinator of many plants and prey species for many birds in the tropical rainforest.
Cultural Connection
An elusive creature possessing a curious appearing and disappearing nature due to the brilliant blue color "disappearing" when the wings are folded. This has inspired numerous myths about the butterfly being a deceiving beacon to lost travelers in the jungle.
Unique Fact
One of the smallest primates on the planet, weighing in at just over 2 ounces.
Unique Fact
One of the Top 25 Most Endangered Primates.
Circle of Life
New forest growth, which results in more efficient oxygen production along with more fruit and foliage production, as they knock down older trees, recycling their nutrients and allowing for new trees to proliferate.
Cultural Connection
A cultural & religious symbol for Buddhists.
Unique Fact
Loss of an evolutionary wonder: it's the heaviest parrot, the largest parrot, the only flightless parrot, the only nocturnal parrot, and supposedly one of the only parrots that is not monogamous.
Cultural Connection
A culturally important animal to the indigenous Maori people of New Zealand and regarded as a treasured species to all.
Circle of Life
One of the top predators in the food chain, leading to potential disarray of the entire food chain of the Sumatran ecosystem.
Unique Fact
The smallest subspecies of tiger.
Circle of Life
A top predator in the food chain, important to the healthy functioning of ecosystems by helping to regulate populations of prey species. Loss of top predators can contribute to disproportionately large numbers of prey animals such as deer, nutria and raccoons, which can negatively impact the agriculture and economy of local farming as they compete with our food to survive.
Cultural Connection
The first successful carnivore in North America to be re-released into the wild after being claimed "Extinct in the Wild".Extinction of the red wolf would signify a dramatic loss of an American emblem of wildlife conservation, forever robbing people of the chance to see this magnificent animal living wild and free in its native landscape.
