Storm clouds over the plain: Stunning pictures Africa's most endangered species being poached to extinction
By Pamela Owen|
These breathtaking pictures taken on the plains of Africa show some of the most beautiful animals on Earth.
Taken by wildlife photographer Nick Brandt, captured them in their natural environment with many of the pictures taken in the Amboseli region of East Africa - a 2million acre ecosystem below Mount Kilimanjaro.
But sadly all of these animals are under threat and many of the large-tusked elephants pictured here are now dead, killed by poachers for their tusks.
White rhino: Wildlife activists in South Africa are desperate to stop the killing of these animals. Their horns have become the must have luxury item for rich Asians
The African Elephant is one of the most endangered species on the continent and its decline is due to poaching for its tusks which are sold for large amounts of money
A number of conservation groups has filed a petition to list the African lion as a protected species under the U.S Endangered Species Act citing the American appetite for sports hunting and lion products as major factors in the big cat's decline
Brandt has started a wildlife foundation to help stop the decline of animals in Africa
'Africa is Africa because of the animals there,' he said on his website. 'The elephants, lions giraffes, cheetah, rhinos - they are all iconic creatures that exert a powerful, deep emotional any mythical hold over out imaginations.
'But we can no longer take their presence for granted. At this rate, by the next generation, they will be gone. And Africa without its animals is a continent stripped of its soul,' he said.
In recent years Africa has been devastated by the effects of poaching and one of its most endangered species, the rhino is on the brink of extinction.
The Western black rhino was recently declared extinct and none of the animals now remain in the wild in West Africa.
Sold for £35,000 a kilogramme, the horns have become a must-have luxury item for rich Asians and as a result 448 rhinos were poached in South Africa in 2011 with another 150 in the first quarter of this year.
The number of chimps in the wild is steadily decreasing because forests are disappearing at an alarming rate. They are also vulnerable to many of the same diseases that humans get and their capture for medical use continues to threaten the species
Many of Africa's animals are being hunted for meat and ivory, which is then exported to foreign countries
African lions are being hunted to near extinction
The Chinese falsely believe that powdered rhino horn is an aphrodisiac while the Vietnamese falsely believe it to be a hangover preventative.
A group of activists called the Wildside Warriors is so desperate to stop the killings they have recently come up with a hard-hitting poster campaign aimed directly at Chinese consumers of rhino horn.
Cheetahs are on the decline with only 12,000 remaining in the wild, mostly in Namibia. There are a number of reasons why they are endangered including a decline in prey, loss of habitat, poaching for their skin and a high death rate among cubs.
Hippos are poached for bush meat, their ivory teeth and their habitat is on the decline. Giraffes and even zebra are now also being killed for meat.
A group of conservationists filed a petition to list the African lion as a protected species under the U.S Endangered Species Act because they believe the American appetite for sports hunting and products like skin rugs, is contributing to the big cat's decline.
For more information click to go to the Big Life Foundation and the Wildside Warriors.
Cheetahs are endangered for a number of reasons: Loss of habitat, decline of prey and a high death rate among cubs from other large prey
There are various species of giraffe, some of which are endangered because of poaching and loss of habitat. Conservationists have now started to put collars on the large animals in order to track them
A family of hippos gather on a riverbed: The giant mammals are hunted for their ivory teeth, meat and skin
Conservation groups have been trying to lobby governments for years to get help and funding to stop the killing
Brandt started his foundation after seeing the devastating effects poaching was having on the continent
Pictured is a white rhino but the Western Black rhino is extinct and there are none of the animals roaming free in the wild
Many of the large-tusked African Elephants that Brandt has photographed are now dead, killed by poachers
An African elephant takes a dust bath, a common occurrence which is done to repel insects
African elephants are endangered species
Ivory is sold to Asian countries and China is one if its biggest buyers where it is used to create ornaments and even jewellery
Wildlife photographer Nick Brandt has taken hundreds of pictures of endangered animals in their natural environment
Chimpanzees are on the decline because forests are quickly disappearing and they are captured and used for medical research
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