Why should we protect endangered animals

The sand tiger, scoophead, dwarf gulper, and pondicherry sharks are among the most threatened in 2025.

Thanks to their position near the top of the food chain, sharks help regulate prey populations, which helps maintain the balance of marine food webs. It's an intricate system-if snapper and grouper become too numerous on coral reefs because of limited reef shark populations to prey on them, these mesopredator fish will over consume their food source: algae-eating fish. Without adequate populations of algae-eating fish, algae may take over, smothering and killing the coral.

To help stabilise shark populations, IFAW has been working with member countries of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to place limits on the trade and catch of sharks. IFAW's work also includes providing identification and enforcement training to aid in catching illegal shipments of shark products.

Elephants

Elephants are categorised in three species:

These gentle giants traverse through forests and savannahs, eating 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of food every day. While walking through their habitat, elephants disperse seeds through their waste, sometimes as much as 65 kilometres away from where the plants were eaten. Elephant dung is an excellent fertiliser, facilitating new growth from their undigested seeds. These plants colonise new areas and eventually create new habitats and food for a range of other animals.

When female elephants are killed by poachers, they may leave behind vulnerable calves that are at risk of dying without their mother's protection and guidance. IFAW works with the Lusaka Elephant Nursery and the Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery to rescue and rehabilitate orphaned young elephants, with the goal of eventually returning them to the wild when they are ready. It can take around 12 years to rescue and rehabilitate an orphaned elephant, and so far, six have been released from the nursery and into Kafue National Park.

Seals

Seals also include numerous species, with IUCN statuses ranging from least concern to endangered. The Caspian, Hawaiian monk, and Galapagos fur seals are among the most threatened in 2025.

These marine mammals act as both predators (of fish, squid, shellfish, seabirds, and other marine life) and as prey for hunters (like polar bears, orcas, and sharks)-all of which help to maintain balance in the food web. When seals swim through the ocean, they create currents which cycle nutrients from the sea to the shore and are essential for plant growth and survival.

IFAW was founded on the mission to end commercial sea hunting in Canada. We continue to urge the Canadian government to end the practice and adopt sustainable alternatives. IFAW also helped to push through the 2009 EU ban on seal products, which saved the lives of one million newborn seals in the following decade.