The Animal Advocate Blog

The Animal Advocate is a blog covering threatened species on the brink of extinction. Vulnerable, endangered, and critically endangered species fall under the threatened species umbrella. More than 49,500 species are threatened with extinction, which is 28% of all species assessed by the IUCN Red List, the world’s most comprehensive source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species.

Together, we can explore the uniqueness and importance of threatened species in each post. The animals and topics explored are backed by as up-to-date research as possible.

Additionally, there will be occasional special guests including scientific researchers, conservation organization representatives, and other wildlife and ecology experts giving their professional input.

Not everyone is a scientist nor should be expected to think like a scientist. This blog is a way to accessibly teach the everyday person about declining wildlife and the small things we can do as common people to aid in reversing their decline, even if it is just seeing the beauty in them.

Hopefully through learning more about these threatened species and spreading resources to aid them, we can all have a hand in guiding these animals away from the doors of extinction and back to a thriving life here on Earth.

Kākāpō: New Zealand’s Rare Treasure
By Alex Gray

The kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus) is a critically endangered species of herbivorous ground-dwelling parrot not often known outside of New Zealand. Kākāpō are the largest species of parrot in the world and are often likened to owls due to their flat, downturned beak, nocturnal nature, and facial disc (a collection of feathers around their face that scoops in sound).

2601 Waikawa on 2026 nest. Photo credit Andrew Digby Department of Conservation (NZ)

Kākāpō have existed for roughly 30 million years. Due to evolving on New Zealand islands without the threat of mammalian predators, kākāpō are flightless and heavy in weight. They adapted beautiful moss colored plumage, allowing them to truly become one with the green island forests.

Andie Gentle and Dr. Andrew Digby are from Kākāpō Recovery in New Zealand. Gentle is Kākāpō Recovery’s Communications Specialist and leads The Kākāpō and Takahē Advocacy Project. Dr. Digby is Kākāpō Recovery’s Science Advisor and his career as an ecologist has been centered around the kākāpō. He has also worked with other New Zealand birds such as the kiwi and takahē.

Kākāpō Recovery has been vital in taking the species from being considered EW (Extinct in the Wild) to Critically Endangered. Kākāpō numbers have bolstered from 18 to 235 due to Kākāpō Recovery efforts. Gentle shared with me that their team has been wrapping up their busiest breeding season on record! Since kākāpō are protected and live only in the wild, they cannot be viewed by the public, adding to their elusiveness even to the locals.

Andrew Digby holding kakapo with daryl eason during kākāpō health check. Photo credit Kākāpo Recovery Department of Conservation (NZ)

“Endemic species [like kākāpō] are uniquely wedded to a particular place,” Digby said, “and in New Zealand that place is very small.”

Kākāpō comes from the Māori words for ‘parrot’ and ‘night’. The Māori are indigenous peoples of New Zealand who have cultural reverence for kākāpō. They are specifically revered as a taonga (or treasured) species to the Ngāi Tahu, a Māori iwi (or tribe), of the South Island of New Zealand.

Kākāpō have been historically hunted by these people. The Māori, with their trusted hounds, hunted male kākāpō during their mating rituals and became keen on their mating and reproductive cycles. Since kākāpō are nocturnal, dogs were used to track them due to the birds having a strong, wood-like odor.

The animal is respected, no part of their body being left to waste. Meat was eaten and feathers were used for cloaks and other decorations. Kākāpō would be preserved in their own fat, as well. Wives and daughters of chiefs would often be adorned in kākāpō feathers which were crafted with care to keep the feathers beautiful.

While both kākāpō and Māori have been marginalized and dispersed throughout the centuries, their symbiotic relationship is one that can be traced and understood by listening to the descendants of Māori traditions. Their histories allow us to better understand the mysterious kākāpō.

The rarity of kākāpō has left them shrouded in speculations and anecdotes. Dr. Digby said that social behaviors are still unknown in kākāpō. I pondered about the role of ethology in advocating for this species to Dr. Digby.

“As a scientist, I'm very wary about anthropomorphising their social behaviour,” he expressed, “and would rather encourage understanding of the functions behind it.”

Dr. Digby offered an example: “The "play" that we see kākāpō juveniles engage in is typical of parrots with higher levels of sociality, and will likely serve an important role in learning behaviours necessary for survival.”

Witnessing kākāpō playing can be ‘touching’ or ‘cute’ to a human but it’s important to learn why they engage in such behaviors instead of assuming they play in the same way or for the same reasons we do. Witnessing young parrots engage in behaviors that will lead to their survival as adults can be a great reason to have empathy for them while watching them play.

Researchers are realizing that kākāpō are more social than was previously thought. Since they have only recently climbed out of EW status, there is still a lot to learn about the species.

“We're almost discovering a new species,” Dr. Digby reflected, “[kākāpō] have been dormant due to the very small and sparse populations [that have] prohibited natural behaviours, which haven't been seen in centuries.”

Although kākāpō are small in numbers, they can be speculated as important pollinators and seed dispersers, as most pollinators and seed dispersers are.

Dr. Digby said, “we can't measure [the ecological impact of their low numbers], but can be confident [a larger population of kākāpō] would have helped forest health, and without them forests would have suffered.” He continued, “because many of the tree species they mutually assisted have much longer lifetimes than the time kākāpō have been absent, we haven't yet seen the full implications of this.”

Kākāpō have dwindled mainly due to colonization on the New Zealand islands leading to the introduction of invasive species like cats, stoats, and rats. Additionally, kākāpō experience reproductive failures due to their low numbers and isolation, resulting in inbreeding. Further, kākāpō mothers incubate their eggs alone, with the incubation period lasting roughly 30 days. Being forced to leave the nest at night to forage, eggs will often go cold or be hunted by predators, resulting in death before hatching.

Andrew Digby with kakapo chick. Photo credit Deidre Vercoe Department of Conservation (NZ)

“The loss of species like kākāpō, coupled with impacts from introduced species, could well see canopy collapse in many forests in the coming centuries.” Dr. Digby offered. “They are intrinsically linked to that ecosystem, which they rely on and which relies on them.” He added, “they are important at a fundamental ecosystem level, as well as being emotionally important to—and representative of—the people who share those places and habitats with them.”

If you would like to learn more about kākāpō or contribute to their cause, please visit https://www.doc.govt.nz/our-work/kakapo-recovery/ and keep a lookout for mention of kākāpō on May 31st which is World Parrot Day.

Okapi: Elusive but Culturally Revered
by Alex Gray

The okapi (Okapia johnstoni) is an underrepresented species on a global scale and one that has become a favorite of mine in recent years. Of the handful of people I have mentioned the animal to, none had heard of them before. With its distinctive appearance consisting of a zebra-like backside and fuzzy ossicones, it’s surprising to imagine how such an animal could trot under the radar.

Okapi photo by Graham S. Jones courtesy of Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

Despite its appearance, the okapi is most closely related to the giraffe; both animals are the only members of their family, Giraffidae. They share features like ossicones, long tongues, and incredibly flexible necks. It’s speculated that the stripes on the backside of the okapi are meant to be camouflage amidst the foliage of the Congo rainforests. Okapis are endemic to these rainforests where they live solitarily and only spend time together to breed. They are tranquil creatures who quietly forage the rainforest floor and trees during diurnal hours.

Perhaps this is the very reason the okapi is so elusive, and sometimes even called mythical—they are solitary and quiet. Even whilst walking on hooves through leaves and branches, they are silent. Although little is known about the species, the local people who share the rainforests with okapis know them best.

While okapis are sacred to most indigenous groups in the Congo, they are most of all to the Mbuti peoples, a group of African ‘pygmy’ people. They are able to identify okapi tracks, excrement, and the dozens of flora they favor. Even to these people, the okapi is seldom seen and a figure of mystery.

The name ‘okapi’ derives from the Mbuba language, one of the languages of the Bambuti people. Okapi can be translated as ‘My Recall of God’ as the Mbuti people believe that being in the presence of an okapi is being in the presence of God. It is forbidden in their culture to hunt or eat okapi because of this. Meeting face to face with a wild okapi is rare and special even to the people who share a home with them.

Branching outside of indigenous roots, the okapi is a national symbol that is embraced by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or the DRC. They appear on the Congolese franc and the national radio station is called Radio Okapi. The okapi is seen on the ICCN (Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature or Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation) badge in the DRC as a symbol of wildlife and ecological conservation.

They even have an entire conservation organization dedicated to them called Okapi Conservation Project. The organization was founded in 1987 and has experienced numerous hardships and setbacks during this time. The Okapi Conservation Project was overtaken by poachers in 2012 where they killed 6 people, 14 okapis, and burned their buildings to the ground. The same day saw the village closest to the organization pillaged by the same band of poachers.

Despite this, the Okapi Conservation Project has recovered, endured, and continues to function to this day even through tensions from the Congolese Civil War. The Okapi Wildlife Reserve, which consists of 5289 mi²/13,700 km² in the Ituri Forest, has been considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. Not only does this reserve protect the okapi but over 500 species of animals, endemic flora, and over 100,000 indigenous peoples are supported by this site.

Okapis are listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. This is mostly due to human encroachment such as logging and illegal mining leading to habitat loss, bushmeat hunting, poaching, and civil war conflicts.

The okapi is a gentle, tranquil creature who lives quietly in the sole area of the Congo rainforests. Their protection is upheld by respect and reverence from indigenous peoples and locals. Their place as a divine, mythical creature in the culture of the Congo is inspiring and hopeful.

If you would like to learn more about okapis or contribute to their cause, please visit https://www.okapiconservation.org/ and keep an eye out for events happening on World Okapi Day celebrated on October 18th.

Stony Hill Cave in Jamaica is the last known maternity roost for the Jamaican flower bat. By Horizonline Pictures

Jamaican Flower Bat: Pollinating on Elegant Wings
by Alex Gray

The Jamaican flower bat (Phyllonycteris aphylla) is a leaf-nosed bat endemic to Jamaica. Opposed to popular stigma, this bat is an important pollinator who mainly feeds on flowers. They are believed to eat nectar, pollen, and fruits, leaving no part of the flower untouched.

The Jamaican flower bat is striking for its pale fur contrasted against dark flight membranes (or wing skin). The addition of their dusty pink arms and legs makes this creature look particularly elegant. While this species has a memorable appearance, its behaviors and floral preferences are a mystery due to a lack of research.

It isn’t exactly that these bats are elusive but they are particular. They prefer cave systems that are hot and humid with temperatures reaching up to 100 degrees fahrenheit/37 degree celsius. These environments have made them incredibly hard to research, as humans are not equipped to handle such conditions for the amount of time they would need to study. Not to mention that there are only two cave systems in Jamaica that currently house these bats—and two others serving as “maternity roosts” for pregnant mother bats and their newborn pups. One of the cave systems has a major road stretching on top of it, which could create a potentially lethal accident that could result in the permanent erasure of this beautiful animal.

Due to the complexity of the task in tandem with their rarity, the Jamaican flower bat has been thought to be extinct multiple times over the past century. In addition, they have an alarmingly small population size of under 250 individuals. Opposed to other bat species, the Jamaican flower bat cannot migrate and find new homes in upper canopies or barns. They need their perfectly hot and humid cave environment in order to survive. There is no doubt that these specific living conditions are contributing to their critical endangerment, and highly possible extinction.

In addition to human development resulting in encroachment and habitat loss, Jamaican flower bats are also falling victim to the rise in stray cats across Jamaica (this problem can also be attributed to humans.) This specific species of bat is also suffering due to the rise in ‘cave-diving’ often practiced by tourists, which results in diseases, bacteria, and other foreign materials being spread.

As a result, Jamaican flower bats are listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. With the recent discovery of the two maternal roosting caves, hope is not lost. In fact, it has motivated researchers to continue their studies to better understand and protect these bats. As a pollinator, the Jamaican flower bat is a keystone member of the ecosystem that cannot be left by the wayside.

Pioneering the conservation for Jamaican flower bats is Bat Conservation International. You can learn more about this species and the organization at https://www.batcon.org/.