Wildlife Wednesdays: What Specie Would You Save?

Back in October of 2019, National Geographic conducted a poll on Facebook asking 2,200 adults in the United States what specie they would save. They could only choose one. Out of 14,000 responses, 55% of people (1,789 comments) ranked bees as the specie they most want to save! Many people commented and how important bees are for the ecosystem. For example, 3/4 of flowering plants and about a third of crops rely on pollinators like the honeybees, the article mentioned. One comment said "If bees go, we all go."

The journal Biological Conservation found that nearly half of the bee specie found in the world are endangered with extinction. Seven species of Hawaiian yellow-faced bee, killed by invasive species, contamination from pesticides, and habitat loss, were the first bees ever to be added to the U.S Endangered Species List in 2016, the article goes onto mention.

Runner up were the elephants with 799 comments. Elephants are some of the smartest animals out there. They have "extremely complex social interactions" that allow them to form groups with different cultures. They can also tell the age and ethnicity in human voices! Tigers came in third place and actually were ranked as the most charismatic animal in a 2018 study! Sadly Bengal tigers have fewer than 3,000 left in the wild, with even more held in captivity.