As of 2012, more than 5,400 species of animals are listed in the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendices, nearly 700 of which are native to the United States. Which species are listed? To determine if a species is protected internationally by the CITES treaty, please consult the CITES Appendices or the CITES Species Database on the Secretariat's website.

In response to an unprecedented international decline of wildlife, the Wildlife Without Borders-Species Programs  awards grants to conservation efforts aimed at restoring globally-valued endangered species populations outside the United States. This funding is authorized through the Multinational Species Conservation Funds.

For information on highlighted CITES-listed animals and animals conserved under Wildlife Without Borders programs, scroll down to see highlighted species. Or choose from the list of animals on the menu to the left.

Credit: USFWS

Furbearers: Certain native furbearer species have been listed in Appendix II of CITES and include the bobcat (Lynx rufus), river otter (Lontra canadensis), Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), gray wolf (Canis lupus), and brown bear (Ursus arctos). These species, whose furs are traded internationally, sometimes in high volume, are managed by State or tribal conservation programs and the Fish and Wildlife Service closely monitors their harvest and trade.

Credit: USFWS

African Elephant: In the last century, rampant ivory poaching and habitat loss caused African elephant numbers to drop from over ten million animals in 1900 to fewer than 500,000 by the late 1980’s. In 1988, the United States Congress passed the African Elephant Conservation Act to establish a fund to help protect, conserve, and manage African elephants. Special emphasis was placed on fortifying protection for elephants in countries with uncontrolled poaching, and implementing conservation activities throughout elephant range.

Credit: USFWS

Coral: Coral reefs are home to more than a quarter of the world’s saltwater fish and support a lucrative tourism industry, protect coastal areas from storms, and contribute to the economies of many developing nations around the world. Concern about the potentially damaging effect of trade on the survival of reef ecosystems prompted the member nations of CITES to list all stony or reef-building corals under the treaty's Appendix II in 1985.