Life truly is one of the most precious things on Earth. Whether it is a human, an animal, or a plant, all life in this world is precious. Year after year, hundreds of thousands of species outside our walls face endangerment, and while human lives are indeed important, we cannot neglect the lives of the plants and animals around us. One of the many things that allowed the human race to flourish on this planet was keeping the balance of our natural habitat, and when one species dies off permanently from unnatural causes, it can set off a plethora of chain reactions that won't be able to help us or the planet in the long run. This is why an international focus has been made on the Vaquita, the world's most endangered marine mammal.
Many of you may be wondering what a vaquita is, along with what species it belongs to and how it matters in our world's ecosystem. According to World Wildlife, the vaquita is a porpoise, belonging to the dolphin family, and it wasn't until 1958 that these endangered marine mammals were discovered. They have large dark rings around their eyes and patches around their lips, forming a thin line from their mouth to their pectoral fins. When the vaquita is newborn, they are darker and an array of gray colors run from the head of their dorsal and pectoral fins. What is most alarming, however, is that over half of the population has been lost in the last three years, thus magnifying the desire to preserve such a rare and endangered sea mammal.
Because of the vaquita's scarcity, Science Daily states that an emergency initiative to save them has been recommended by the International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita (CIRVA), where the main methods of action will involve relocation of the vaquitas to a temporary sanctuary while efforts are focused on the elimination of illegal fishing and removal of gillnets from their environment. Despite the incredibly rapid decline of the vaquitas in the Gulf of northern California, all efforts of the Mexican government are being allocated to saving and preserving these marine mammals, which is reported to be less than 60 of them remaining. Only time will tell whether these vaquita porpoises will prevail, but researchers and animal activists the world over are doing all they can to ensure that they have a fighting chance.
