The world is at risk of losing many species on the verge of extension, with dwindling numbers and no end to the process in sight. A journal article by 13 scientists from eight different countries says the world is now in the sixth mass extinction of plants and animals. Other scientists, however, feel that calling the current age a mass extension is a bit dramatic. While scientists agree humans damage the earth and changes should occur to protect species on the edge of extinction and our natural environment, the situation may not be as dire as predicted. As with most things, the truth likely lies somewhere in the middle. One thing everyone agrees on is that some species are in danger of no longer existing. The list grows and changes from year to year, but here are five animals currently on the verge of extinction that might surprise you. 1. Giraffes In 2016, giraffes moved onto the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s “Red List of Threatened Species” report into the vulnerable category. In the 1980s, there were 155,000 giraffes in Africa. Today, the number is under 100,000 — a reduction of around 40 percent. Some ways to protect this […]
Continue reading... →The number of wild animals living on Earth is set to fall by two-thirds by 2020, according to a new report, part of a mass extinction that is destroying the natural world upon which humanity depends. The analysis, the most comprehensive to date, indicates that animal populations plummeted by 58% between 1970 and 2012, with losses on track to reach 67% by 2020. Researchers from WWF and the Zoological Society of London compiled the report from scientific data and found that the destruction of wild habitats, hunting and pollution were to blame. The creatures being lost range from mountains to forests to rivers and the seas and include well-known endangered species such as elephants and gorillas and lesser known creatures such as vultures and salamanders.
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