Where Scientists Keep the World's Most Endangered Animals

[@ElusiveLion741]

This is why the statement all zoos = bad is so damaging. Without these zoos and conservation centers holding these animals in captivity, these animals would no longer exist at all. It is important to understand that not all zoos are bad. Some are worse than others yes, but the good ones do hold an important role in conservation.

[@RoraxPlays]

It doesn't help that zoos for conservation are (relatively) young and the statement "all zoos are bad" is old. It's one of those things handed down that never gets scrutiny

[@brandonhiraeth4537]

@@RoraxPlays Zoos for conservation have been around longer than you've been alive. They are far from a new concept.

[@palithepancake2873]

Exactly!! It makes me so sad to see people automatically write my local zoo off as if they aren’t one of the top zoos in North America, and a huge conservation organization that does BIG things! I hope it doesn’t harm them too much, they do great things.

[@sarenbinkerd4162]

There's a pretty commonly kept fish in the aquarium hobby, the white cloud mountain minnow, that is extinct in the wild. But they're surprisingly easy to breed in captivity. I myself even have the fish! I get this bittersweet feeling whenever I watch them. So common you can buy them at any Petstore, but gone in their natural environment. I'm glad people liked them enough to keep them though!

[@feuerling]

Same with axolotls

[@seasorablue]

omg i also have white clouds! They're my favourite fish. i didn't know they were extinct in the wild though.... :( I'm going to upgrade their tank after learning that.

[@anyascelticcreations]

I've had them too. Peaceful little guys if I remember correctly.

[@Chaotic_Pixie]

You see it at fisheries. Farm raised while their wild cousins dwindle in population because countries prefer to bicker over economics rather than understand that none of that matters if we let the earth and its species continue to die.

[@stefanostokatlidis4861]

I am sure that somebody will introduce them somewhere non-native sooner or later. They are reputed to be very hardy fish.

[@1st1anarkissed]

I can't stop marvelling at how many bald eagles and great blue herons just casually hang out all around me here. The city rewilded a creek and they love it. These birds were nearly lost in my childhood. Their success is a human success story too.

[@anyascelticcreations]

@@1st1anarkissed My childhood, too. Now my parents see bald eagles almost every time they go for a drive.

[@Darkflowerchyld718]

I just moved to South Florida and am completely blown away by the Great Blue Herons and Bald Eagles. To go from a big city where the only wildlife we had was pigeons and rodents (no hate, I love my city critters too!) to having a bird as tall as I am just standing in my backyard is incredible.

[@juliamays6203]

Ditto alligators

[@blessedbeauty2293]

- This makes me so happy to hear. 🥹

[@pollyb.4648]

Southern Michigan: Me too! Almost every day

[@lovelossgain]

Thank you for making this. As a zookeeper, I appreciate the look into the role of zoos in conservation. While I don’t work with them, my zoo actually has some Panamanian golden frogs and we’re partnered with some colleges to breed and release the critically endangered poweshiek skipperling butterfly that’s native to Michigan. Additionally, I personally work with a pair of critically endangered bali mynahs. It can be rough when something like tiger king is culturally popular because it can cast doubt on zoos as a whole. Sure there are some facilities that are better or worse than others, but by and large us keepers are conservationists and chose to work in zoos because we recognize the importance of connecting society with animals both exotic and in our back yards. Again thank you for sharing the conservation work that zoos can play a part of!

[@Jasonwolf1495]

Are we just gonna gloss over the one random neighbor who showed up to help hold the fire back? I wanna send them a fruit basket

[@GuyNamedSean]

That neighbor is the kind of person I think we all wish we were. If I'm ever in that situation, I hope I have the courage to be a helper.

[@goldendoqqs7685]

I'm sure that they were properly celebrated for helping save a population of local endangered birds. Communities are very close-knit and people tend to also be passionate about the land and coming together to protect and nurture it

[@AroundTheBlockAgain]

"Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping."

[@JDaimon]

It was me

[@SpikedHairVSGravity]

It's Hawaii, the fruit basket is the floor. No joke, it's awesome.

[@lynnefrost7836]

I love hearing success stories because it means that there is hope, that taking action can reverse the damage done to ecosystems

[@DragoniteSpam]

It can also be really interesting hearing how creative people get solving these problems, too.

[@zogar8526]

Sadly, human nature makes it so hard to do these things. We tend to focus mostly on the negative outcomes. Those are what we remember the most. Largely forgetting the positive ones. That is why so many people think weathermen are wrong so often. The reality is the weather is like 95% accurate. But we never think of all the days things go as predicated. While on the rare occasion it is wrong, it sticks out. Same thing with many of these conservation efforts. So lots of people end up against them thinking only bad things can happen. It is sad.

[@Backinblackbunny009]

There's pretty much no problem around today that we can't fix with modern technology. The only problem stopping us is the greed of the elite (john green's bugbear Tuberculosis is a great example of this)

[@jackvos8047]

Tasmanian devils are developing a genetic resistance to the facial tumours. Researchers were amazed it only took around 6 generations to develop the resistance as it's unusual for it to happen that fast in mammals. Some of the breeding programs are looking to increase this resistance.

[@derekstein6193]

Too bad they are such angy little rascals, I would like to safely pet one some day.

[@smalltime0]

@@derekstein6193 According to the researchers it's a myth that they eat people alive, despite it being widely believed and recorded. They just happily eat already dead bodies.

[@metal_pipe9764]

​@@derekstein6193 too bad

[@wnkbp4897]

​@@derekstein6193Yes, they look sooo lovely and cuddly, don't they? 😍 Ouch! 🤕💀

[@markgarin6355]

Still dealing with trichinosis though I assume.

[@Jessica-de2gh]

There is nothing more surreal than driving through the texas desert at night and having your headlights illuminate an African animal taller than your vehicle.

[@quiestinliteris]

Lol, try tromping back from the outhouse at 2AM and coming face-to-face with one of those suckers. Apparently some of them have gotten out. (Rio Grande Valley) I was VERY glad I had just peed already.

[@Kiradesu415]

As someone who played zoo tycoon their entire life hearing the Oryx story warms my heart since I used to always use them in my zoos since they are labeled as critically endagred and I want their numbers to increase so hearing their comeback just fuels my fire more, I hope the same goes for the Addax as well since it's also a ZT2 animal!!!

[@GenaTrius]

It's wild to think the descendants of golden lion tamarins I saw at my local zoo as a kid might be running around out there in the real rainforest right now.

[@jessicahay9305]

The pet trade is keeping cotton top tamerins from going extinct. They're such handsome babies. I'm so glad they won't disappear even though their environment is nearly gone.

[@metal_pipe9764]

Or dead

[@noahberan6498]

I'm glad you mentioned the 'akikiki. The Hawaiian honey creepers are among my favorite animals in the world, and they need all the help and attention they can get

[@katherinevallo2326]

When I was a child I hated zoos believing the animals were put in prison. Now that I am older I understand that sometimes we need to take an animal that is endangered animal and place them in a zoo because this is the only way to keep them from going completely instinct.

[@boxsterman77]

They also have a great value in keeping people involved and invested in the continuation of animals in the wild. That said, there are good ways to run zoos and horrid ways to run them. Personally, I’ve never visited an excellent zoo. I think that is mostly theoretical. But on the whole, they are a net plus. I only worry that people will become less motivated to save endangered species if they think that some zoo is going to safeguard against ultimate instruction.

[@justaman9564]

Zoos ain’t zoos, like oils ain’t oils. Some are good some are terrible. Conservation reserves/parks are better as they are kept alive solely for the sake of the animal, not also for our entertainment. Sure I get that they get more exposure and hence more funding, there are better ways to do it than flipping a coin with a zoos shady practices or not

[@JeffrotheDude]

@@boxsterman77 good rule of thumb is for profit = bad, non-profit are typically animals first. like the san diego zoo and its sister zoo, the safari park, which both have some of the animals on this list like tasmanian devils!

[@rosezy755]

I feel like I'm pretty privileged to live near the Smithsonian zoo, they seem to take conservation seriously there and I've been able to see many rare animals such as the oryx and dama gazelle

[@Chaotic_Pixie]

@@justaman9564agreed. If a traditional zoo or aquarium exists, it should exist to educate the public, raise awareness, & participate in conservation. Conservation can look like so many things. It can be rehabilitation & release of injured wildlife, it can be raising money through events & ticket sales to fund conservation projects (which are expensive) & research (which is always underfunded), and it can be housing an endangered population & participating in breeding efforts. And I want to say that I do like to separate traditional zoo/aquarium set ups from rescue facilities or displayed private collections. Though many will participate in conservation when possible… most serve to provide sanctuary to rescued animals and/or educate the public while raising awareness of various issues impacting the animals. They’ll often call themselves zoos when they really aren’t a zoo in the traditional sense. I’m a big fan of Snake Discovery and they call their location a zoo sometimes or simply “the facility” but it really isn’t a zoo. The story all really started with rescuing an alligator out of miserable living conditions & realizing lots of people get in over their head with exotics. So now, they educate about native species & leaving wild animals in the wild as well as about species that make good pets and that don’t… how to care for them… and how to help their wild counterparts. In the same vein, I think of the petting zoo a friend of a friend operates that’s mostly rescued farm animals. She only charges enough to offset the cost of care… but she teaches about the animals AND their wild counterparts. It’s a great experience. Her farm gets called a zoo… but it’s more of a selective rescue.

[@Conus426]

This has gotta be one of my favourite scishow videos for a while, wild plants and animals are just so interesting to me

[@prototropo]

I'm so heartened to learn of zoos around the world collaborating for the sake of so many species. The future glimmers!

[@Delekhan]

Mentioning Hawaii's declining birds reminds me of my trip to Guam last winter. I worked in the jungle all day and didn't realize there were no birds singing. Similar situation. Stupid humans introducing the brown tree snake and other predators. When I left and arrived in Japan I heard birds and saw that I hadn't heard any for three months. Thanks for the awesome video SciShow! Love all of ya! All you behind the camera who help make the magic too!

[@anml1969]

The problem with the birds in Guam is due to heart disease; caused by eating too much SPAM.

[@sebastiann.8088]

​@@anml1969I always knew ham in a can was evil

[@gretchenwetzel7313]

You could do a whole episode about the Hawaii bird conservation program facilities and the many species they hold and work on habitat projects for. For instance they don’t breed nene anymore because the population also rebounded thanks to their efforts. I bet an inside scoop video would be fun and possible….

[@trog7986]

I could imagine the bird brains being very excited for the opportunity to talk about their work. You don't become a biologist for the money!

[@ArmchairDeity]

That would be awesome! I love birds and seeing the Hawaiian bird conservation efforts would be amazing!

[@fredyu1371]

There is a project in my home country called Project Palaka (Project Frog) which focuses on this giant limestone frog for conservation purposes as well. It's always nice to hear updates about this kind of ex-situ work.

[@thehomeschoolinglibrarian]

This is why accredited zoos and aquariums are so important. The San Diego zoo and its wildlife park helped keep the California Condor from going extinct. Accredited zoos also saved the Bald Eagle. I have a membership to the Phoenix Zoo which is an accredited zoo and is currently working on various animal breeding programs. This zoos and aquariums are mostly non profts. I always check to see if a zoo or aquarium is accredited so I know that the animals are well taken care of

[@IrisGlowingBlue]

I didn't expect to cry about Panamanian golden frogs today but Here We Are

[@michealwestfall8544]

Um, excuse me, but I'm pretty sure scischow even said all toads are frogs, but not all frogs are toads.

[@jamesw3746]

Right? I couldn't believe he said that

[@jasperzzzzzzzzz]

nvm i need to go to bed lmfao,,

[@albertnonymous1886]

It's like saying "he's not American, he's from Montana"

[@Echo_the_half_glitch]

No, it's more like the square rectangle thing.

[@blessedbeauty2293]

- Please *make more videos like this !!* 🙏🏽

[@katbairwell]

The two, untrained, brave souls that raced to face down a wildfire to save a tiny bird, just reignites my hope for our species. We're not all selfish, ignorant, and destructive. That's a precious thing to remember right now.

[@mikamekaze]

As a patron of the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, I've been following the breeding and reintroduction efforts of Guam Kingfishers. Love learning about similar efforts elsewhere!

[@rosieposie1760]

Ok Hank, what *IS* the difference between a frog and a toad? You said the Panamanian frog is actually a toad. I was under the impression (I'm pretty sure from some other complexly video) that there is no taxonomical difference.

[@seatbelttruck]

Phylogenetically, toads are a subset of frogs. So it's correct to say that the golden toad is a toad, but not that it isn't a frog.

[@obiwahndagobah9543]

@@seatbelttruck More specifically there is the family of true toads, Bufonidae, to which the panamanian golden frog belongs. That said, there are also multiple other frogs that look toad-like and therefore are called also toads colloquially.

[@YunxiaoChu]

Hmmmmmm

[@rylandvincent6787]

Toads are just land frogs! Thicker skin helps retain moisture. ❤

[@antonenero]

Frogs have smooth, moist skin and long, stripy legs and are likely to be found in damp habitats in the garden. Toads have warty skin, golden eyes and prefer to crawl rather than hop; if threatened a toad can puff itself up to appear bigger. Toads can tolerate drier habitats than frogs and spend less time in water. (Just googled it)😊💡

[@covertcharisma]

I used to work in Visitor Services at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore and love telling people about the Panamanian Golden Frogs!!!

[@bethannyallain5395]

Wonderful news for conservation and zoos. Thanks Hank.😊

[@roberthiltz2741]

There might be some haters out there about saving extinct or endangered animals but open your mind and listen to the stories of the people who have devoted their lives to the protection and understanding humans’ influence on ecological health and consider supporting their endeavors- we can heal some of the wounds caused by our ancestors and restore the grace of beautiful creatures at the same time. Peace

[@zogar8526]

What gets me the most is that protecting species we've cause to go extinct or become endangered, as well as the environment in general, is good for us too. Like even ignoring all the good things for the animals and all that, it makes our lives better and safer. It makes sure we can keep going. Like it is in our self interest to do it. Yet that is more long term. And sadly, humans suck at long term thinking. Short term benefits outweigh long term gains in our eyes most of the time. No matter how unbalanced they may be.

[@roberthiltz2741]

Couldn’t agree more my friend. Besides the benefits of learning more about this beautiful world and possibly gleaning new vaccines and genetic information, the genuine concern I see on my daughter’s face when she learns that an animal is on the brink of extinction shows me that empathy and consideration exists in the youngest of us. I think we as a race are at least teaching the next generation better than our ancestors did

[@GiddyThis]

🎵Bow-wo-wow. Guess who's back, back again, Golden Frog. Tell a friend.

[@jeanneferguson7124]

This is very positive news and gives hope for other species. I love watching and learning from you!!

[@pigeonlizard]

This video has given me a dose of much needed hope

[@troyhunter5319]

Thanks Hank, thanks to SciShow and all the conservation efforts worldwide!

[@JeevasJerico13]

I needed this so bad, thank you 🙏

[@competitionglen]

Werribee Open Range Zoo, near where i live, Melbourne, Australia has scimitar horned oryx, adax, white rhino and other endangered species. Conservation is the key. The Healesville Sanctuary has Australian native animals. Melbourne Zoological Gardens has the rest. Zoos Victoria manages all these amazing venues committed to providing safe environments for all critters.

[@mehere8038]

Taronga is the only zoo that gives the animals views of the Harbour though, so Sydney wins :P

[@allangibson8494]

@@mehere8038And Taronga rotates its animals to the Western Plains Zoo…

[@rougnashi]

The nene has such beautiful neck ruffles; what a pretty animal to have as your state bird. I hope their mosquito program goes well, too. Hawaii natives need a win.

[@susangrande8142]

I live in Omaha NE, and our zoo used to (maybe still does?) have a population of golden lion tamarins. I always thought they were wonderful little critters! Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo is one of the best zoos in the world.

[@KyrenaH]

The big cat section and the bear sections were pretty bad though. I'm not sure if that has changed.

[@shadebug]

“Pray for the Devil” would be a good album name for a metal band

[@MissPersephoneParker]

So all toads are frogs. But not all frogs are toads (for those wondering). Sounds like those who asked the question might be interested in the youtube channel Clint's Reptiles 😁

[@theKTCalamity]

1 and 4 i enjoy seeing at my zoo in canada. i also enjoy the comeback story of the crested gecko or eyelash gecko

[@Caroline1775]

Y’all should cover Zealandia in Aotearoa NZ! South Island Takahē!!! An amazing story of once thought extinct, only recently re- discovered

[@ihcfn]

Fantastic work!

[@savagegardenrox]

8:53, genuinely tearing up at the image of two people risking their own lives to protect that conservation facility.

[@FatFrankie42]

Same. It's reassuring to know that not all human beings are gawdawful.

[@chemistrydragon5641]

Here too! 😢

[@VincentCastaneda96]

Best science show on YT sorry Neil 😝

[@StenoBros]

I remember when the Toronto Zoo had Panamanian golden frogs for breeding to help save them.

[@thegameres816]

Such a wonderful wholesome video ❤

[@Lexthetician]

Wholesome af ❤

[@CWorgen5732]

My city- no, my NEIGHBORHOOD now has BEAVERS AND BALD EAGLES. This was unheard of back in the 90s. This isn't even the outside edges, there are expensive houses and a kids' playground 100 ft away.

[@nariu7times328]

facinating episode

[@enbybus3840]

I want a movie about that worker and the neighbour fighting the fire to protect the endangered species

[@derekstein6193]

7:38 This little birb looks pretty Kawaii to me.

[@pauls5745]

I wonder how many animals were wiped out after some catastrophe because they only lived on 1 chain of islands.

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

So like the opposite of what happened to mammoths? Interesting thought, it was probably a terrifyingly large number of species that it happened to.

[@jaylewis9876]

@@goosenotmaverick1156the last mamoths were on a tiny island so it must be a common final spot

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

@@jaylewis9876 that's kind of what I was thinking. The mammoths thing really blew my mind!

[@paperip1996]

What boggles my mind is to really consider what a miniscule snapshot we have of the history of life. We've identified an estimated 300,000 extinct species from fossils spanning the last billion years. Even if we make the generous assumption that we're living in the most biodiverse period of earth's history, there's still almost certainly tens of millions of species that didn't leave any trace behind for us to find.

[@Nick-Lab]

Almost every species endemic to an island since animals and plants move to land.

[@antonenero]

Thx to 2 brave souls they don't leave the conservation center until the fire fighter come to stop the fire . and all the Birds safe thank you... that's the good story to features in film ❤❤❤❤

[@mackenziearcher7785]

Loving learning more about endangered animals. Thank you for all the interesting content. ❤

[@MichelZongo-q3r]

I loved this video .

[@zolacnomiko]

Saw ‘akikiki on the thumbnail, had to click!! JSYK Hank, the "i" in ‘akikiki is the vowel sound in "key", not in "kick".

[@owenvaughan8034]

Sorry to fact check: 6:04 not a photo of Maria (Mar-eye-ah) island. This is Wine Glass Bay on the Freycinet Peninsula. Otherwise, love your work!

[@viridiantheforest1037]

My local zoo was involved in a program to breed cloned black footed ferrets to be released in the wild. They are a an endangered species native to Kansas and the zoo had been openly anticipating the release for couple years. Not if the farmers had anything to say about it.

[@mackenziearcher7785]

Your curls are curling today, Hank 😍

[@feuerling]

Toads are frogs though, tortoises are turtles, and dolphins are whales.

[@Lutefisk445]

But are frogs toads, turtles tortoises, and dolphins whales?

[@ajmijangos925]

Is a facsimile it’s archetype

[@loganmanweiler4957]

No being the same family is not the same as the same species homie 😂

[@boxsterman77]

No. Frogs have thinner skin able to absorb water Nd oxygen. Toads lay their eggs in long strings on leaves of water plants. Frogs lay them in an unorderly blob in the water. Frogs are athletic and quick. Toads, with far less impressive hind quarters, are not built for incredible leaps, but basic movement, typically on land. Frogs live in or near bodies of water, toads have championed a. variety of environments like near ponds (like frogs), in forests and even arid areas. There is a difference. I’m not going to go through the other differences you so ignorantly dismiss. But they are there. It’s so easy to research before you spout out.

[@placeboobshere5458]

​@loganmanweiler4957 so you think you're not a mammal just because you are human?

[@erikesparza685]

Hank, you are the next Bill Nye.

[@corlisscrabtree3647]

Thank you 🙏🏼

[@jasonashcroft6388]

People don't understand that hunters... Especially in the United States care about the safe sustainable populations and monitor it closely. Texas started out with like 28 scimitar horned oryx and now estimates are over 10,000. It's funny how these greatly outpace all other conservation efforts. Conservationists sometimes are detrimental to the animals they are trying to protect... For example where I grew up in new Mexico there was a bison herd at an old military facility... As the bison herd grew they decided they needed to keep the population in check so they didn't overpopulate the area and over graze it leading to full herd loss during severe winters from starvation... They were going to allow hunting (which also would add income for maintenance of the herd) but conservationists got wind... Caught it and the state ended up auctioning off the herd many going to slaughter houses for burgers, and others to ranchers.... But now there is no free roaming herd in New Mexico (one of the states that did have populations of them historically.

[@QueenKitty08]

Why did the state auction the animals off? They thought paying for them was worthless? Could they have maybe left them alone to free roam?

[@Thinkin_inkan]

⁠@@QueenKitty08I believe you cannot release a captive animal into the wild.

[@quiestinliteris]

​@@QueenKitty08 Usually boils down to money. The state likely wanted that land to generate SOME income, so the options were either allowing a few paid hunts or clearing out the whole herd so the land could be put to beef cattle or development. Nixing the hunts nixed the whole herd. My preferred solution to this would be greater subsidies for conservation efforts, but short of that, hunters are some of the largest funders of wildlife conservation - usually through paying out the nose for regulated hunts. Organizations like Ducks Unlimited and Quail Unlimited actually offer hunts at auction, and I've seen old rednecks pay tens of thousands of dollars to basically go squat in a fairly nice trailer for a weekend, even though they could just as easily go to a state park, because they're that passionate about keeping the whooping cranes around for the next generation. TL;DR: Bison are a national treasure, govt should be doing more to restore their numbers, but since they won't, hunters are currently the next best thing.

[@QueenKitty08]

@@quiestinliteris thank you, I did want an actual answer. I was mostly confused on who owned the animals and whether or not that would consider them wild. I understand the hunting for conservation thing even though it's not my favorite way to do it It does raise a lot of money. It's very easily corrupted though.

[@quiestinliteris]

@@QueenKitty08 Ah, yeah, technically all wild animals in the US are government property. Game animals can get complicated, since there are exceptions that can allow for farming them as private property. I don't know how this particular herd was categorized, just assuming from mention of a military base that they were on government land and were probably government property.

[@Riz2336]

Good work for saving these animals

[@spacebadger21]

Hank saying akikika sounds like he's a malfunctioning robot

[@redhotmoon1656]

I can't believe the Panamanian frog is so endangered.. when i lived there in the early 80s, they were all over the place in the right elevations. 😢

[@GustavSvard]

6. The Visent aka the European Bison. Went extinct in the wild in 1927. From a breeding population in zoos of just 12, there's now over 7500 alive today with most in a forest on the border of Poland and Belarus. There's even some in the Chernobyl Exclusion zone.

[@matthewlewis4981]

Hunters are some of the biggest proponents of wildlife conservation. Help the land and animals thrive and you can benefit as well. I pay $2k a year to hunt on private land. There are 6 total people allowed to hunt the property. We work year round to care for and protect the exotic wildlife and hunt them in a way that keeps the herds strong and healthy both for profit and out of respect for the land and wildlife.

[@Thinkin_inkan]

People really do not know! Private owners have saved other species before. They have healthy herds with healthy, reasonable harvest to keep them that way. These private owners are critical to keeping genetically diverse assurance populations.

[@gatorbait9385]

1:08 I thought toads are frogs, just like tortoises are turtles, and skinks are lizards. Am I wrong?

[@alyseandrews1066]

Yes, both frogs and toads are in the amphibian order, Anura. True frogs are under the family Ranidae, and toads are under Bufonidae. Toads are separated as a subspecies of frog in their own family, differentiated by egg laying patterns, prefered habitat, skin texture, parotid glands, and short fat tongues instead of the sticky lasso ones of true frogs.

[@somethingiconicig3967]

Texan here! Lots of our game ranches donate to the conservation efforts! Especially hog hunting ranches, it’s not all about gain, lots of folks here care.

[@Kaidoesthething]

There is a DFTD vaccine being trialled. Its called DIR 195. The patiant was issued by the Australian Government Department of Health in June 2023.

[@anyascelticcreations]

Leave it to Texas ranchers to know how to get their animal populations to grow. There's a lot of money in healthy animals - dead or alive.

[@ashantihenry1110]

Wildly ironic. Uncomfortably hopeful.

[@anyascelticcreations]

@@ashantihenry1110 Yeah. That's kind of how I feel, too.

[@TheGreatApollo55]

Thank you for bringing these wonderful stories together I thoroughly enjoyed it all .

[@cggc9510]

Thanks for mentioning Tasmana and our devils. They are fun little critters. One thing though, Maria is pronounced Ma-rye-a island. They are also on the peninsula. Those devils are free from disease naturally. A tiny strip of land connects the penninsula to the main island and devils don't cross because of the car traffic. Hank if you are ever in Australia, come visit Tassie. No drop bears on the island and you won't grow a second head. 😂

[@openbooknutrition]

An important factor to keep in mind with the trophy hunting of Oryx in Texas is that the private ranches that are doing this work are largely unfunded. They are only able to do this conservation work by offering trophy hunting to paying customers. While many don't like this idea, it is the sole reason that these private ranches can operate. It would be nice if people could do so altruistically without needing to make a profit, but the reality is that undertaking a conservation effort like this and caring for a herd of large herbivores that you aren't using for anything is EXTREMELY expensive. Without funding from the public, or the government giving public funds, then hunting has to be offered to ensure the success of the conservation. Society hasn't stepped up to fund them by other means, so naturally a free market opportunity arose to address that need, so we shouldn't demonize trophy hunting. Not only that but part of the point of conserving these animals is so that the populations are healthy enough that humans can utilize them in the same way we have historically done.

[@film9491]

1:08 I thought all toads are frogs?

[@JoshWitte]

Toads is toads

[@tams1417]

They are

[@gigglybeast]

You thought right.

[@paulgaras2606]

I’ve been saying we need a bunch of connected forest corridors in the US. An interstate forest system.

[@manuelcorbacho5937]

10:57 you murdered soooo hard the BR-Portuguese language kkkkkkkkkk

[@boxsterman77]

That is what happens when you read Portuguese as though it were Spanish, and I only know that because I’ve started learning Portuguese. Before, I would have done exactly as he did. Here’s an idea. Find a way to send Hank the proper pronunciation and pledge to make yourself available for help if he has another bit of Portuguese to pronounce. That way, you could save him from being blasted over his Portuguese pronunciation-the world’s prettiest language. Soa bem!

[@graphite2786]

The craziest story about captive breeding and reintroduction is China's Pere Davids deer. They were only found in the Emperor's garden. Some were smuggled out of China to Europe. Then the ones left in China were eaten in 1900.. None left in China, but a handful in Europe. But the eccentric Duke of Bedford decided he'd save the species and started to assemble a herd on his estate, from all the zoo animals in Europe. By 1985 there were enough deer to start reintroducing them back to China. And so they did , eventually setting up 53 herds , mostly in parks and reserves. Then in 1998 the floods in China broke a heap of fences that kept the deer in place. And a lot of deer escaped into the wild. They started breeding. There are now 3000 wild deer in China and they are causing HAVOC to farmers! Eating crops, breaking fences, muddying water supplies. Not only this but there are another 8000 deer in managed parks and reserves. So the old Duke of Woburn achieved his goal and if it weren't for him the species would be extinct.

[@erikm8372]

I feel like Tasmanian devils are only mean to each other, especially during a feeding frenzy, The males are territorial, to each other, for sure, but many of them (especially babies and rescued devils) are actually super sweet and will fall asleep on your lap! I speak from experience! ♥️ Of course they have sharp teeth and are a predatory marsupial, but they’re not inherently vicious, I’ve found. Even in nature, they seem to be more of a cleanup crew, a natural janitor, that clears the environment from wallaby and bird carcasses, though they still will hunt small animals.

[@Beryllahawk]

My understanding is that the ferocity is partly social - Bigger Meaner Devil Wins - and partly scarcity. There's less biting among captive groups, but that's less, not none! Vultures and other scavengers can get much more aggressive when they're on a carcass, too, and to some extent that has to be because there's only so much meat to go around. But even playing with each other as pups in the same litter, devils can get real bitey, hehe - and even at their sweetest they have sharp lil feet as well as sharp teeth. But they're so stinkin' CUTE even at their scariest!

[@allangibson8494]

@@BeryllahawkTasmania doesn’t have vultures… Crows fill that niche in mainland Australia.

[@Beryllahawk]

@@allangibson8494 True - I was referring more to general behaviors among scavengers, though. Specifically I was recalling how Black Vultures here in the US will squabble over a carcass; or how golden eagles will fight each other and do pretty ferocious damage over one. I'm obviously no expert but it just seems to me that the devils have similar instincts. :)

[@darcieclements4880]

Yeah I was surprised how many people were like it's a shame that you can't handle them because they're so aggressive and I'm just sort of like um... You shouldn't handle them because you shouldn't be messing with a critically endangered species at all, but they're actually pretty cool animals and they remind me a lot of badgers or wolverines. Yes they can be quite brutal but they are surprisingly tame and captivity. Please do not keep Badgers or wolverines and captivity unless you are a mamologist or similar. When we talk about nice wild animals that does not mean pet It means relatively nice😂. I can tame and train almost anything but I learned the hard way when I was younger that this skill is not transferable to most of the population 😢

[@newatthis50]

I nearly drove off the road seeing an oryx along the road in rural Texas. I was on the way to a job site where I would be taking a drug and vision test. Wasn't at all sure I would pass either😂😂😂

[@SpikedHairVSGravity]

Funny thing, I didn't realize the Scimitar Horned Oryx was endangered because I live in Texas, and I see pictures of them from my "yee-haw" side of the family all the time. When I realized they were endangered, I was like "oh dang, them trophy hunters actually be kinda helping because those landowners need a sustainable population, which means we're actually upping the population of an endangered species." Kind of a weird ethics mind-bend, but it's monetized so it's more effective.

[@mariannetfinches]

6:35 I'm sorry, ground nesting birds & introduced carnivores? Australia, i thought you knew better than that 😭

[@641mamaluigi]

5:13 also what dosent help T-Devils conservation is that they have 30 babies but only raise 4

[@jacko666]

This mosquito plan is giving Barb & Star go to Vista Del Mar 😂😂

[@maxluken1909]

Theres a place outside Columbus, Ohio that does conservation breeding. They have Scimitar Horned Orex's there, along with a lot of other really cool animals They had some stories about locals where they've been reintroduced... dealing with poachers in their own special ways

[@Nonshannonical]

My local zoo has a herd of scimitar horned oryxes which is were I first learned about them and how they were extinct in the wild. The zoo also has some Mexican gray wolves that are used in repopulation and conservation efforts too!

[@SquishySenpai]

3:00I was totally expecting some kind of "all of your eggs in one basket" reference. Like "you shouldn't keep all of your tadpoles on one pond" or something like that.

[@brycencolumbus9834]

Red Frog Island in Panama has the Golden Toad

[@theguildofthetranquilpine5360]

I keep millipedes that I collect from places I worry about being developed. It’s EVERYONES JOB TO ENSURE NATIVE SPECIES SURVIVE

[@boxsterman77]

Well. I leave the millipede saving to you if you don’t mind. God bless ya.

[@LogicalThinking-p2s]

Maybe one of Jumba's experiments are harming bird populations

[@QScoobie]

That would be Experiment 967

[@IslamMozaahe]

Poor dodo bird rip 😭

[@autumnarcher]

This video makes me feel less hopeless about the future - we CAN do something.

[@charlieechomike7708]

So early!! Thanks Hank!

[@dimsinsf1]

awesome sacoglossan shirt

[@anat01]

panamanian golden frog mention!! that's my frog!

[@LongBow-rg3vu]

The oryx if I remember right has actually been in private hands for a good while. But it goes to show that private ownership of animal populations can be beneficial. Owners just have to self regulate so we aren't ending up with rampant inbreeding and poor health.

[@hunterwiegele8962]

I’m so glad the scimitar horned oryx was brought to the USA for hunting and that saved them from extinction

[@katyngah-ere4942]

I always associate …”swept back mane that Fabio would be jealous of… as that of a Golden Lion Tamarin as that’s what I’ve always heard especially when visiting a zoo

[@JohnHunterPlayerr]

When i was 5 or 6. I saw the woody wood pecker bird in norcross atlanta. I thought it was a heavy duty drill. Only to look up and see a two an half foot wood pecker brain blasting the phone pole in the yard. I was sad to find out later... Id never see it again.

[@trog7986]

If you're referring to a Pileated woodpecker, we have them up in northern Wisconsin. I've seen at least 4 this year, and heard several more. They are impressive birds

[@JohnHunterPlayerr]

@@trog7986 no the south eastern giant wood picker is considered extinct and the last photo was some time in the 50s or 60s.

[@trog7986]

@@JohnHunterPlayerr I've always seen the Pileated being the inspiration for the Woody the woodpecker cartoon

[@AirwrekaDoesntRead]

I’m surprised you didn’t add the P. Horse or the California Condor

[@loquaciousky]

The video itself is fascinating, but I am also ENTHRALLED by that Sacoglossan slug shirt. The BB store only has that print as a scarf; is the shirt available anywhere?