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Only
50 Vaquitas Left!
Vaquitas
could go extinct within the next three years!
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Dear
Virginia,
Unless
we act fast, the vaquita, the world’s smallest
porpoise species, could go extinct within the next three
years!
New
estimates place the global population of these
pint-sized cetaceans at around 50 animals. That’s
fewer than half as many vaquitas as scientists had
believed. And at current rates of loss, scientists
predict the vaquita could be extinct by 2018!
Vaquitas
live in shallow waters in the northern Gulf of
California, between the Baja Peninsula and the Mexican
mainland. The primary threat to vaquitas is illegal
fishing for another critically endangered species, a
fish called the totoaba. The swim bladders of the
totoaba are considered a delicacy in China, where these
fish parts fetch more money per ounce than gold. In
other words, vaquitas are going extinct because they are
bycatch – accidental victims – of pervasive illegal
fishing operations in their habitat.
Both
the vaquita and totoaba are protected by international
treaties restricting trade in endangered species.
Tragically,
many of the illegally obtained totoaba swim bladders are
transported through U.S. ports.
By
curtailing this illegal trade, we can give the vaquita a
fighting chance for a future by eliminating their deaths
as bycatch.
Tell
the U.S. government to take immediate action to stop the
illegal wildlife trade transiting through the U.S. to
China to help ensure the survival and recovery of the
vaquita!
We’re
in a race against time if these littlest dolphins are to
be saved.
Sincerely,
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President,
Defenders of Wildlife
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