We’ve all visited neglected, underfunded and high-traffic tourist parks where wild and endangered animals have become almost tame. Sites such as these, where regulations are inadequately enforced, are unfortunately far too common. On the sunny flip side of this is well-planned ecotourism, the kind that helps conserve many outdoor and wilderness spaces that may be a last hope for endangered species.

This picture of a Komodo Dragon was taken on November 01, 2006. It is one of the best pictures of the giant lizards that I have ever taken, although I have been visiting Komodo National Park almost every year since April 1988.

The rhinoceros is critically endangered! Approximately 200 years ago, at the turn of the 19th century, there were an estimated one million rhinos. By 1970, the count was about 70,000. Today, there are fewer than 24,000 remaining in the wild. If there is no change in our appreciation of this magnificent animal – if we do not take action to stop poaching and support the protection of our rhinos – the five surviving species (white rhino, black rhino, Indian rhino, Sumatran rhino and Javan rhino) will become extinct in the wild in our lifetime.