COVER N.69 - United Nations - Vienna

Postmark: Wien Vereinte nationen 16JAN22 
Posted on the 16th January; received on the 1st February
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Once again I have to thank Roland for another very nice cover, this time posted from the Vienna branch of the United Nations Postal Administration.

Year after year the UN Postal Administration has been issuing a series of stamps in  blocks of four se-tenant items each dedicated to the theme of endangered species. Since the UN Postal Service has three branches - New York; Genéve and Vienna - each one issuing stamps in their corresponding denomination - Dollars; Swiss Francs and Euro - every year the spotlight is shone over 12 species that we all take for granted but that may one day disappear mainly due to the loss of their habitat as a result of human activity, as it has happened in the past with a variety of species.

The beautifully executed stamps on my cover are part of the 2021 UN Wien block of four 0,90€ stamps issued on 07APR2021 and they showcase the braided nail-tail wallaby (Onychogalea fraenata) a small nocturnal wallaby endemic to Queensland, Australia, of which there are only an estimated 500 individuals in the wild, thus having earned the "Vulnerable" conservation status accorded by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Of note is the fact that This particular species was thought to be extinct by 1937 until, in 1973, a small population was identified as still living in the region of Dingo, Queensland.

The other 0,90€ stamp features the  Buru babirusa (Babyrousa babyrussa), a member of the Suidae family, that comprises all pigs and wild boars. Endemic to four Indonesian Islands, it is also classified as "Vulnerable", data from 1996 estimating that between 4,000 and 5,000 individuals still lived in the wild, but in risk of prey by huntsman, and loss of habitat due to logging.