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The last of its kind in the wild, one blue-plumed Spix's macaw roamed its habitat in northeast Brazil in isolation. No mate, no young, no answer to its call. For 10 years.

All others of its line had long been lost to poachers profiting from illegal trade in exotic wildlife and to decades of habitat destruction. Then, recently, came the report that this final individual was gone, too. The Spix's macaw is believed now to be extinct in the wild.

The deeper tragedy is that the Spix's fate is not isolated. Species extinction looms as an awful legacy humankind will bequeath to future generations at home and abroad.

Even charismatic American wildlife such as the Florida panther, now with only 60 adults remaining in the wild, are in real danger of vanishing forever unless we act.

The report documents factors contributing to population declines for most of North America's cat species. Troubling results include the extirpation of the jaguar from the Southwest and reduction of ocelot numbers along the Texas-Mexico border to about 80 individuals.

To save North American cats, the report prescribes large doses of public education about the perils facing wild felines, along with advocacy to protect cat habitat and migratory corridors that are increasingly threatened by development and transportation plans.

Aggressive measures are needed to save other North American species as well. The black-footed ferret, once reduced to just 18 individuals, is rebounding somewhat but has only a tenuous hold on survival. Fortunately, it will get some help from NWF's progress in aiding the imperiled black-tailed prairie dog, the ferrets' principal prey, and in conserving the grassland habitat that sustains both species.

We are also pursuing the opportunity for a large-scale ferret recovery program near Janos, Mexico. With the help of Mexico's new president, Vicente Fox, it could boost the odds for ferrets, while helping U.S.- Mexican relations, too.

This emergency action to save critically endangered wildlife is a reminder of the need for vigilance, education and advocacy to conserve habitat and keep the wild alive, the mainstays of NWF's mission.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:59 AM