This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Toronto chapter.

Humans are ruining the earth. Objectively that is. With climate change on the rise, fossil fuels clogging up the air, and radio signals clogging up the world we cannot see; it’s hard not to get depressed about the way the world is going. Often times, when people feel like getting cheered up, they look at pictures of cute animals and/or inspirational stories to show themselves that the world isn’t all bad.

What’s better than these two types of stories? Inspirational stories about cute animals. In particular, stories of animals fighting back against the mess that us humans have created. These animals have come back from the brink of extinction, almost always with human help, and are now still bringing joy into our lives. It makes you think that if we can right our wrongs by not letting these animals go extinct, then we can’t be that bad can we?

1. Iberian lynx

This adorable feline was critically endangered in the early 2000s, so when we were were going through our scene faze, this beautiful kitty was going through its ‘try not to die faze’. At the time, it was estimated that there were only 50 adults left in the wild, with only two breeding groups. This feline lives in the Iberian region, which occupies Spain and Portugal.

2. Amur Tiger

Another kitty is on the mend! A native to Russia, the Amur Tiger was almost extinct in the 1930s, but has been slowly on the mend due to a ban on hunting them and protection by the Russian government. It was on the critically endangered list, but then in 2007 it was moved to the endangered list due to the population in 2005 totalling approximately 360 tigers. That said, it’s a step in the right direction, right?

3. Giant Panda

We have all heard about this big ball of floof that was going to be on this list. Pandas are widely known for only eating bamboo, having a low sex drive, being clumsy and being ridiculously adorable. They are also the logo for the World Wildlife Fund. For many, they represent endangered animals as a whole. Ironically, the first two animals on this list are more endangered than the Giant Panda, as they’ve gone from Critically Endangered to just endangered, whereas the Giant Panda has just been taken off the endangered list and put onto the vulnerable list. There are now 1864 adult Pandas in the wild, with approximately 2060 cubs in the fray. Po would be proud!

Hopefully, these cute fluffs helped cheer you up in the midst of midterm season. Perhaps, this gives you some hope that in this time of chaos and turmoil around the world, Pandas are still falling out of trees and Tigers are still as cute as ever!

Sources:

https://www.worldwildlife.org/species

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-37272718

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/shortcuts/2016/sep/05/giant-pand…

Image Sources:

http://www.maraujolab.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/lynx2.jpg

http://www.fauna-flora.org/wp-content/uploads/iberian-lynx.jpg

http://www.philadelphiazoo.org/Animals/Images/AmurTiger-large.aspx

http://www.animalspot.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Siberian-Tiger-Cubs…

http://assets.worldwildlife.org/photos/1618/images/story_full_width/gian…

http://www.lovethesepics.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Baby-giant-panda…

http://www.lovethisgif.com/uploaded_images/106117-Animals-Are-Not-Always…