Photographer Spends Years Capturing Endangered Animals; The Extraordinary Photos Broke Our Hearts

When you hear about ‘endangered species,’ what do you think of? Perhaps a tiger or a polar bear? However, what about a saiga or a white-bellied pangolin?

Unfortunately, there are now 41,415 animals on the ‘red list,’ and about 16,306 of them are already endangered and threatened with extinction. Tim Flach, a British photographer, was on a mission to capture as many photographs of these endangered species as possible. As you'll see below, the results are heartbreakingly beautiful.

After he spent two years tracking down the elusive species, the photographer created a body of work fittingly titled Endangered. The pictures offer us a rare glimpse of the lives of these extraordinary, threatened creatures.

Flach’s stunning images are a reminder for humans to have respect for nature and all of its inhabitants. Because before you know it, these unique, beautiful creatures will no longer be sharing the planet with us.

1. Philippine Eagle

Tim Flach

As of 2015, only 600 of these regal birds are left in the wild. They're the national bird of the Philippines.

2. Iberian Lynx

Tim Flach

Since the beginning of the millennium, conservation efforts managed to bring the Iberian Lynx population up from 100 to 326 cats in the wild.

3. Ring-Tailed Lemur

Tim Flach

As of 2017, only 2,000 ring-tailed lemurs are left in the wild because of poaching, hunting, and habitat loss.

4. Red Panda

Tim Flach

Reliable population estimates have been hard to come by because of their shy and secretive nature. It is calculated that there are approximately 10,000 individuals left on Earth, with a declining population every year.

5. Fireflies

Tim Flach

Firefly numbers have been in rapid decline during the past few years. Habitat loss and pesticides have brought populations down to zero in some areas.

6. Saiga

Tim Flach

Noted as one of the most critically endangered species in the world, the saiga had a mass die-off 2010 when 12,000 of them suddenly died in Kazakhstan.

7. Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey

Tim Flach

These unique monkeys live in Southwestern China and have a population of about 8,000-15,000 individuals left in the wild.

8. Shoebill

Tim Flach

These impressive birds are found in Eastern Africa. It is estimated that their population ranges from 5,000 to 8,000.

9. Western Lowland Gorillas

Tim Flach

Although the Western Lowland Gorilla is the most widespread of gorillas, they're constantly being threatened by hunters and habitat destruction. There're approximately 100,000 of them left.

10. Proboscis Monkey

Tim Flach

This large-nosed monkey’s population has seen a 50 percent decrease in population over the past 36-40 years because of habitat loss from oil plantations and logging.

11. Indian Gharial

Tim Flach

Depletion of fish and loss of habitat has led this interesting looking creature’s population to drop to less than 235 individuals.

12. Marine Iguana

Tim Flach

Fortunately, these Southern American lizards still have a population approximately 200,000 to 300,000. Nevertheless, habitat destruction due to tourism is a perpetual threat to this species.

13. White-Bellied Pangolin

Tim Flach

This beautiful animal is continuously hunted and exploited by poachers for their meat and use in traditional medicine. Exact numbers of their population are currently unknown.

14. Olm Salamander

Tim Flach

Living in caves of the Denali Alps, this salamander is entirely blind. In fact, it never develops eyes at all! Very sensitive to climate changes, the amphibian has been on the rare and endangered species list since 1982.

15. Beluga Sturgeon

Tim Flach

Sturgeon can live up to 100 years old. Nevertheless, they're being hunted for their caviar which can fetch up to $10,000/kg.

16. Hooded Vulture

Tim Flach

17. Northern White Rhinoceros

Tim Flach

This gorgeous animal is on the verge of extinction. As of today, there are only three left in captivity at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. They're the only three left in the world, and only one of them is male.

18. Egyptian Vulture

Tim Flach

There's been a rapid decline of these endangered vultures. In India, they've seen a 35 percent decline in population every year since 1999.

19. Kaiser’s Newt

Tim Flach

Considered extremely endangered because habitat loss and illegal trade, the Kaiser’s newt has an approximated population of about 9,000 individuals.

20. Hippopotamus

Tim Flach

Found throughout Southern Africa, the hippopotamus is identified as a vulnerable species; it's a population range between 125,000 and 150,000.

21. Giant Panda

Tim Flach

The good news is, the Giant Panda’s population is on slowly on the rise. The bad news is, the population is still on 1,864 — up from 1,596 in 2003.

22. Pied Tamarin

Tim Flach

In Brazil, the city of Manus continues to expand and encroach on this unique animal’s territory. The actual population is unknown; nevertheless, there are 170 tamarins in captivity throughout the world.

23. Sea Angels

Tim Flach

This strange swimming creature is a type of sea slug and can be discovered in cold oceans under ice, or equatorial climates; however, because of shifts in global temperatures, their populations are dwindling.

24. Polar Bear

Tim Flach

The polar bear population has been extremely hard to track. Biologists estimate that numbers could range from 20 to 25,000 worldwide.

25. African Elephant

Tim Flach

The poaching trade in Africa has caused the deaths of more than 144,000 elephants in less than a decade. Currently, there are about 352,000 African elephants left.

26. Cheetah

Tim Flach

From 1900 to now, the cheetah population dropped from 100,000 to around 9-12,000 individuals in the wild. In Iran, there are approximately 200 cheetahs which live in isolated locations as well.

27. Red Crown Crane

Tim Flach

One of the largest species of crane worldwide, there are only 1,700-2,000 of them left.

28. European Honey Bee

Tim Flach

Thankfully, in 2017 the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that the honey bee’s population was up 3 percent since 2016. Mass extinction of honeybees could be detrimental to the whole planet.

29. Military Macaw

Tim Flach

Deforestation has caused this gorgeous bird’s population to decrease to less than 10,000 globally.

30. Arabian Oryx

Tim Flach

This extremely endangered species is slowly growing; however, there's still only a frightening population of about 1,000 individuals on the planet.

References: Bored Panda, Tim Flach, Animal Channel