An animal's Conservation Status tells us how a particular species is faring in the wild. Various organizations keep track of animals' status. At EyeHelpAnimals.com, we have adapted the classification system developed by the IUCN, the World Conservation Union.*

IUCN Category	EyeHelpAnimals.com STATUS
Extinct	EXTINCT
Extinct in the wild	IN CAPTIVITY ONLY
Critically Endangered	CRITICAL
Endangered	ENDANGERED
Vulnerable	THREATENED
Near threatened	VULNERABLE
Least Concern	STABLE
Data Deficient or Not Evaluated	unknown

Sometimes a species is not listed by the IUCN. However, just because an animal isn't listed by the IUCN doesn't mean it has no conservation story to tell. EyeHelpAnimals.com relies on many resources and does its best to research the animals that it selects to feature on one of its Collectible Pins.

*Since the IUCN groups Critically Endangered, Endangered, and Vulnerable together under the term 'Threatened' in its Classification system, EyeHelpAnimals.com has chosen terms that convey the relative need for protecting a particular animal.