Mini Project # 3: Endangered Species

Colombia, located in South America, has a rich and diverse ecosystem. The country is home to one of the world’s greatest varieties of birds, as well as hundreds of different kinds of mammals and thousands of types of insects and plants. Yet the varied ecosystems of Colombia’s Andean ridges and valleys are becoming increasingly endangered, due mainly to deforestation and smuggling.

An article called Despatches: Americas written by Timothy Ross, a reporter with BBC News, states that "seven-million creatures every year are captured, smuggled out and sold abroad. Parrots, toucans and macaws, the golden lion tamarin, marmosets, ocelots and margay cats, even baby alligators, are victims of a savage traffic."

The following list represents the animals that are endangered in Colombia according to the 1994 - 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals.

The Caiman

Colombian Weasel

The Condor

Cotton-top Tamarin

Dryland Mouse Opossum

Ecuadorian Sac-Winged Bat

Giant Armadillo

Giant Otter

Green Turtle

Loggerhead Turtle

Magdalena River Turtle

Mountain Tapir

Olive Ridley

Pacarana

Variegated Spider Monkey

White-Footed Tamarin

This list represents the birds that are endangered.

Sources:
MSN Encarta
Animalinfo.org
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species