On the verge of extinction
The Red List, published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has been updated. It lists the okapi and more than 200 species of birds as endangered. The situation for other wildlife has improved.
Okapi population halved
The giraffe-like okapi lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which publishes the Red List, is unsure exactly how many okapis are left. But estimates from the Okapi Wildlife Reserve in the DRC say around 4,400 okapis lived there in the 1990s. Ten years later, just 2,500 were left - due to conflicts in the region and mining.
Nearly gone
The IUCN lists okapis as endangered. But, more drastic are the categories "critically endangered," "extinct in the wild" and "extinct." Animals that lived 200 years ago but are now extinct include the Tasmanian wolf and the Bali tiger. All subspecies of tigers (pictured: the Amur tiger) are classed as endangered.
Many birds critically endangered
More than 200 species of birds are very close to extinction, according to the Red List. They include the white-rumped vulture (pictured), predominantly found in India and Southeast Asia. The vulture is already extinct in China and Malaysia, say IUCN experts. New to the critically endangered list is the white-winged flufftail, which lives in Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Fewer and fewer Asian elephants
Estimates hold that 40,000 to 50,000 Asian elephants remain alive. The elephants are listed as endangered on the Red List, after their population dropped by half within the last three generations, according to the IUCN. The downward trend continues for the animals, which can be found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, China and Indonesia.
Threats from poaching and ivory trade
The African elephant is also in danger of extinction, due to the destruction of its habitat and to poachers eager to get the ivory. Although African elephant populations have grown somewhat in recent years, poaching has also been on the rise. The IUCN's African Elephant Summit in Botswana from December 2-4, 2013, will examine the illegal ivory trade.
Caught in fishing nets
The principal danger for porpoises and dolphins is ending up as unwanted catches in fishing nets. The harbor porpoise (pictured) is not endangered, but a species known as the vaquita, also dubbed the gulf propoise, is. It's estimated that just 500 to 600 of the porpoises, which are endemic to the northern part of the Gulf of California, remain.
Making a comeback
The leatherback sea turtle is among the species whose situations have improved. The huge turtles nearly went extinct a decade ago, but are now classed merely as endangered. They are the largest living tortoises, measuring up to two meters long (6.5 feet) and weighing up to half a ton. Fishing and hunting pose dangers for leatherback sea turtles, as does water pollution.
Good news and bad news
There is also good news when it comes to the dark brown albatross, whose numbers are increasing. The updated Red List reveals "some fantastic conservation successes," said the director of the IUCN's Global Species Program, Jane Smart. But, she added, "There is a significantly larger number of species appearing in the threatened categories." Currently, that number stands at 21,000.
The last of their kind
Further examples for severely threatened animals include the giant panda, the Sumatran rhinoceros, and the Iberian lynx, which has dwindled to a population believed to number 80 to 150. The Red List has been published since 1963 and summarizes estimates and records on animal populations from many nations.