National Endangered Species Day 2026

National Endangered Species Day 2026 is being observed on 15 May 2026, which falls on the third Friday of May. The 2026 observance marks the 21st annual celebration of a global conservation day focused on threatened and endangered wildlife.

National Endangered Species Day

National Endangered Species Day began as an annual observance in the United States and is now used for conservation education in several countries. The 2026 theme is “Celebrating America’s Wildlife Comeback Stories. Championing the Endangered Species Act.”

Endangered Species Act

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is a United States federal law enacted in 1973. It provides legal protection to species listed as endangered or threatened and to their critical habitats. The bald eagle and the American alligator are among the species associated with recovery under the ESA.

Conservation Activities and India

National Endangered Species Day is marked through educational programmes, community activities, film screenings, chalk art contests, and pollinator garden plantings. In India, schools, non-governmental organisations, and institutions use the observance for biodiversity awareness, eco-club activities, nature walks, and conservation campaigns. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is organising five thematic Big Cat Conservation Events 2026 across India before the International Big Cat Alliance Summit 2026. The five species covered are tiger, Asiatic lion, leopard, snow leopard, and cheetah.

Big Cat Conservation in India

India is home to more than 70% of the world’s wild tiger population. Project Tiger was launched in 1973, and the National Tiger Conservation Authority was established under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. An international workshop titled “Shared Stripes – Shared Future” was held at the Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad on 12 May 2026. Delegates from Malaysia, Russia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and the United States participated in the workshop.

Important Facts for Exams

• National Endangered Species Day is observed on the third Friday of May every year.
• The Endangered Species Act was enacted in 1973 in the United States.
• The bald eagle and the American alligator are classic examples of species protected under the ESA.
• Project Tiger was launched in 1973, and the National Tiger Conservation Authority functions under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.