More than 33% of federally listed bird species occur on the Hawaiian islands.
71 Hawaiian bird species have become extinct since the arrival of humans.
An additional 10 birds are feared extinct as they have not been observed for over 40 years.
Prior to human inhabitants, Hawaii was home to 113 unique bird species such as flightless geese, ibis, rails, and 59 species of Hawaiian honeycreepers.
43% of 157 sea and land species are not native to the islands, while 69% of the landbirds have been brought over from all parts of the world.
Between 1978 and 1991, only 200 Kemp’s ridley sea turtles nested annually near Rancho Nuevo, which is a dramatic decline from the more than 42,000 that arrived in a massive synchronized nesting in one day in 1947. Contributing to the start of their decline was the sighting of villagers harvesting 80%, or 33,000, of the eggs that had been deposited on the beach during that incredible day.
Of the initial 8 recognized subspecies of tiger, 2 (Balinese, Javan) have become extinct and the remaining 6 (Bengal, Indo-Chinese, Sumatran, Siberian/Amur, South China, Malayan) are endangered. As of 2008, approximately 1,400 Bengal tigers are all that remain in the wilds of India and are hanging on to existence via a variety of nature preserves. On the other hand, the Siberian tiger has been reduced to a wild population of 400 to 450 individuals.
The Galapagos giant tortoise species encompasses 14 subspecies of which 10 still remain in the wild. Growing to a length of up to 4 feet, and reaching ages well over 100 years, the Galapagos tortoise population is considered vulnerable primarily due to predation of offspring by invasive species such as cats and rats, and competition for food by goats. Populations were at one time under threat from passing sailors, and the threats as a whole have contributed to their decline.
In 2002, industrialized nations legally imported 38,500 primates in 2002, and each year the United States imports over 20,000 primates, most of which are used in animal testing laboratories.
