Our world is full of beautiful creatures, but many are currently under threat – WWF's Living Planet Report 2022 revealed that global wildlife populations have declined by 69% since 1970. Here are the incredible animals that are listed as either vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, plus the conservation efforts that could keep them from dying out.
Click through the gallery to discover the animals we might lose forever...
Cuddly-looking koalas are without a doubt some of the cutest animals on the planet. Yet the species, which was once prolific in Australia, is currently classified as vulnerable across most of the east coast due to its declining population. The bushfires which ravaged much of the country in 2019-2020 are thought to have killed 5,000 koalas and estimates suggest there are around 300,000 mature individuals left in the wild. Thankfully, the animal is among 110 species added to Australia's 10-year plan, which aims to halt the extinction crisis by protecting an additional 50 million hectares of land and sea by 2027.
Another species which will be protected within the plan is the grey nurse shark. These stocky-bodied creatures, which have grey-brown colouring on their backs and a pointed head with a flattened snout, live in shallow, inshore waters along Australia's east and west coasts. Their east coast subpopulation is currently listed as critically endangered, with numbers thought to be as few as 500, which is largely due to illegal fishing practices. The new legislation will enforce stricter protections to clamp down on illegal fishing and restore populations.
It will come as heartbreaking news that these adorable creatures are at risk of extinction too: they're currently listed as vulnerable by the IUCN Red List, with between 7,500 to 15,000 left in the wild. Thankfully, the species, which lives in a small belt of forest land just south of Perth, is also to be protected by Australia's 10-year conservation plan.
Owing its name to the distinctive markings around its eyes which look like a pair of glasses, there are thought to be just 2,500-10,000 spectacled bears (also known as the Andean bear) left in the wild. These furry critters tend to be black, brown or reddish in colour and are found in South America’s cloud forests and Andean moorlands. Sadly, the forests they call home are being razed to the ground to build roads, and for agriculture and farming cattle. This, combined with hunting, has led to their decline.
The fastest land animal on Earth, cheetahs can run at an awe-inspiring 75 miles per hour (120km/h). However, they can't outrun threats to their existence, such as climate change, illegal poaching and habitat loss: approximately 6,517 mature cheetahs remain in the wild, taking up just 9% of territory they once occupied. This has prompted calls for the species’ status to be upgraded to endangered on the IUCN Red List, although for now they’re categorised as vulnerable. The most significant cheetah populations are in eastern and southern Africa, while there are smaller numbers in northern Africa and Iran.
There are around 2,710-3,386 mature snow leopards in the wild today, living in high-elevation, mountainous regions across Asia. Classified as vulnerable by the IUCN, these svelte creatures are known for their gorgeous multicoloured coats, which act as camouflage in their natural habitat. But their beautiful fur also makes them the target of poachers, who kill on average one snow leopard a day, or 220 to 450 per year.
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Only found in three Asian rivers – the Mekong, the Ayeyarwady and the Mahakam – there are thought to be just 92 Irrawaddy dolphins left in the world. These critically endangered mammals are recognisable for their rounded foreheads, bluish or brownish-grey colour and lack of distinctive beak. Conservationists are working to stabilise their falling numbers, with WWF-Malaysia, the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) and the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) teaming up to monitor population size and educate fishers about how they can reduce incidental catches and entanglements.
You might recognise bluefin tuna from the culinary world: these sought-after fish are found on high-end sushi menus and have been known to sell for as much as £2.3 million ($3m) each. Yet overfishing has also driven their demise. Thankfully, the IUCN reported that several subspecies had begun to recover in 2021, downgrading the Atlantic bluefin tuna from endangered to least concern and the Southern bluefin tuna from critically endangered to endangered. However, it’s too soon to celebrate just yet, as many regional stocks remain extremely depleted.
Found only on the island of Madagascar, the aye-aye is one of the most unusual-looking primates on the planet, resembling something between a monkey and a bat. But its most unique feature is its hands. You’ll notice that the aye-aye has one long middle finger, which it uses for something called ‘echolocation’: tapping at the hollow branches of trees to find wood-dwelling insects and eat them. Aye-aye were considered extinct until they were rediscovered in 1957, although they are currently listed as endangered by the IUCN.
Some of the most effective hunters in the world, African wild dogs cooperate in packs to catch their prey and have a hunt success rate of around 80%. In comparison, the success rate for a pack of lions is just around 25%. For this reason, they’re an object of fascination for zoologists – but they’re also killed by farmers, who blame them for hunting livestock. With just around 1,409 African wild dogs remaining, the largest populations are in southern and eastern Africa, although a 2021 relocation project saw two packs return to Malawi for the first time in 60 years.
Not seen in the wild since 2006, Franklin’s bumblebee has been listed as endangered by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and critically endangered by the IUCN. Endemic to northern California and southern Oregon, it has the smallest native habitat of any bumblebee in the US and possibly the world. Threats to the rare species include agriculture, which has caused habitat degradation, as well as the use of commercial bee species to pollinate crops, which have brought new diseases to native populations.
As you might expect, mountain gorillas live in mountainous regions of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, at elevations between 8,000 and 13,000 feet (2,440-3,960m). Despite the fact they’re listed as endangered by the IUCN, there is cause for hope. Thanks to conservation efforts, which included running anti-poaching patrols, removing snares and educating local people about the species’ importance, mountain gorilla numbers have increased from 680 to more than 1,000 in a decade.
There are estimated to be just 200-250 mature North Atlantic right whales left in the world today. The population of this critically-endangered species, having been mercilessly targeted by hunters from the 11th century until the 1930s, has never recovered to pre-whaling numbers. While whaling no longer poses a threat, modern-day commercial fishing nets, which can wrongly ensnare whales and other mammals as bycatch, present continued danger to right whales. Climate change, increased ocean noise from human activity and run-ins with moving vessels are also cause for concern.
Named after the Australian island-state which is their native habitat, Tasmanian devils have declined by an alarming 80% in recent decades. This is largely due to a deadly, contagious cancer known as devil facial tumour disease (DFTD). Recorded in the species since 1996, it causes the animals to develop large tumours around the head and mouth, which limit their ability to eat and eventually cause them to starve. However, there may be fresh hope for Tasmanian devils: evidence shows that some are developing natural resistance to the disease.
Not only do sea otters spend much of their time floating through the water in this (literally) laid-back pose, but they've been known to join together in large social groups known as ‘rafts’, by holding onto each others’ feet. Adorable, right? Yet these amazing creatures, which live along the coastlines of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean, are under threat. Their thick fur (the densest of any mammal) made them a target for fur traders in the 19th century and they were hunted to near-extinction. While their numbers have since bounced back somewhat, they are still listed as endangered; oil spills and other types of pollution present the worst dangers.
With distinctly smaller ears than their African counterparts, Asian elephants live in forests across southern and eastern Asia, where they play a crucial role in controlling the climate. In their native forests, Asian elephants disperse seeds and create open spaces for them to grow, which helps these important ecosystems to thrive and absorb more carbon from the atmosphere. Yet sadly the very habitats they work so hard to maintain are under threat from expanding infrastructure, farming and industry. Asian elephant numbers have halved in the last three generations and there are now fewer than 50,000 left in the wild.
Weighing up to 330,000 pounds (149,685kg) and measuring up to 110 feet (33.5m) long, blue whales are the largest animals on the planet. These colossal mammals are found in all of the Earth’s oceans except the Arctic, feeding on some four tonnes of krill each day and living for around 80-90 years. Their numbers were drastically reduced by commercial whaling in the early 20th century and today, around 5,000-15,000 adult blue whales are thought to exist, with commercial fishing and climate change presenting the biggest threats to their survival. However, against all odds, the population is currently increasing.
Contrary to what you might think, green turtles aren’t actually green. Rather, they owe their names to their fat, which is greenish in colour due to their herbivorous diet. Found in subtropical and tropical oceans across more than 80 countries, green turtles are currently listed as endangered by the IUCN, with a population decline of around 90% over the past 100 years. In order to protect them, conservationists are working to reduce bycatch (turtles are sometimes accidentally caught in fishing operations), protect nesting areas and track the species using satellites.
With their startlingly human-like appearance, it’s perhaps not surprising that bonobos are one of the species most closely related to us – along with chimpanzees, they share 98.7% of our DNA. Yet still little is known about these intriguing primates, which are found in the central forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and were discovered less than a century ago. Threatened by bushmeat hunters, deforestation and civil unrest, bonobos are currently categorised as endangered on the IUCN Red List.
In 1941, whooping cranes reached the brink of extinction and just 15 were known to exist. Thankfully the flock, which migrated between habitats in Canada and Texas, USA was restored by conservation efforts at local, federal and international levels, with bird numbers growing to 214 by 2005. During the breeding programme, biologists discovered that in order to create a new flock of whooping cranes, babies had to be taught how to migrate – which they achieved by getting them to follow an ultralight aircraft from Florida to Wisconsin. There are thought to be just under 250 adult whooping cranes in the wild today, with numbers gradually increasing.
Shockingly, the number of tigers living wild has dropped 97% over the past century. Found in 13 countries across Asia, these endangered big cats are targeted by poachers for their body parts and skins, plus they endure habitat degradation and retaliatory killings at the hands of humans. However, there are glimmers of hope on the horizon. An international conservation programme run by the IUCN, which involved introducing anti-poaching measures as well as creating buffer zones and protected areas, increased tiger numbers by more than 40% at project sites between 2015 and 2021.
The only flightless parrot species in the world, kakapo were once widespread throughout New Zealand. But with the arrival of Polynesian and later European settlers came hunting, habitat clearance and an influx of introduced predators, hastening the demise of this unusual, moss-green bird. Conservationists feared kakapo were extinct in the 1950s, but fortunately, small numbers were rediscovered in the following decades and today the Department of Conservation monitors and manages this critically-endangered, endemic species.
Recognisable for their long, slender snouts, gharials are most closely related to crocodiles. Yet in terms of evolution they are fairly unique: the Gavialidae family (of which they’re the only living species) split off from other crocodilian species some 40 million years ago. Found in small populations in Bangladesh, India and Nepal, gharials are critically endangered and just 650 are estimated to remain in the wild, although thanks to conservation efforts their numbers are currently increasing.
Once prevalent across most of sub-Saharan Africa, black rhinos were relentlessly hunted in the 19th century by European colonists. In the 20th century, untrammelled poaching between 1970 and 1993 saw their numbers drop by a staggering 96%, from 65,000 to just 2,300. Thankfully, since then, populations have increased back up to almost 6,500 and in 2020, the IUCN declared there was 'cautious hope' for the species – although it stressed that continued anti-poaching measures and population monitoring would be needed.
The clue’s in the name: the Chinese giant salamander is the largest amphibian in the world, reaching up to six feet (1.8m) in length. Found in freshwater ecosystems in (you guessed it) China, salamanders have long been seen as a culinary delicacy, but over-harvesting now threatens the species’ future survival – a study completed back in 2018 located just 24 Chinese giant salamanders in the wild. Scientists say that better-informed breeding programmes, combined with stringent anti-poaching measures, could stop the species from becoming extinct.
The alarm was raised for giraffes in 2016, when they were first listed as vulnerable by the IUCN, but the picture is even more concerning for several subspecies. Notably, Masai giraffe populations have dropped by around 50% in the last 30 years and are now considered endangered, while Nubian (pictured) and Kordofan giraffes are critically endangered. In 2019, giraffes were added to an international convention called CITES, which regulates international trade in giraffe parts – a leading cause of the species’ demise.
Found in tropical forests across Sumatra and Borneo, this critically-endangered subspecies of Asian elephant lost almost 70% of its habitat in one generation. Deforestation for the pulp, palm oil and paper industries is partly to blame, though the animals are also killed in human-elephant conflict (HEC) because they are known to raid cropland for food. However, there are glimmers of hope on the horizon. The declaration of Tesso Nilo National Park in 2004 was seen as a big step towards conservation, and it is hoped that mitigating HEC, stopping poachers and limiting industrial activities will further help these creatures’ survival.
These cute and cuddly-looking creatures live in the bamboo-rich forests of Madagascar, where they eat around 18 ounces (500g) of the stuff each day. Yet they’ve been listed as critically endangered by the IUCN, with only 50-249 thought to exist in the wild. Threats to their survival include slash-and-burn agriculture and bamboo farming, which have caused substantial habitat loss, as well as hunting.
Easily one of the most adorable creatures in our round-up, pangolins are scaly anteaters known to curl up into a ball when under attack. Sadly, this defence mechanism doesn’t protect them against poachers. Pangolins are the most trafficked mammal in the world, targeted for their scales, which are turned into fashion items, as well as their meat, which is considered a delicacy in some cuisines. In order to protect pangolins – of which there are eight subspecies, all listed on the IUCN Red List – they have been given the highest level of protection under CITES and all commercial trade is prohibited.
A subspecies of the white rhino, the northern white rhino is considered the world’s most endangered species. There are just two left in the world, a mother and her daughter, so hopes for the subspecies’ survival are pinned on IVF using sperm from deceased male northern white rhinos. But with neither animal able to carry a pregnancy full term, scientists are planning to transfer the frozen embryos into a surrogate southern white rhino in order to bring the species back from near-extinction.
Once prevalent throughout the US, red wolf numbers fell dramatically throughout the 20th century due to hunting, with the species being declared extinct in the wild in 1980. Then, a highly successful rewilding programme saw numbers climb back up to 120 in 2012. Tragically, the triumph was short-lived. Although the species is protected under the US Endangered Species Act, landowners can kill red wolves if they attack people, pets or livestock, and they are often mistaken for coyotes. Today there are thought to be only about 20 red wolves in the world – but a recent litter of eight pups born in April 2024 has renewed hopes for the population's recovery.
A polar bear stranded on an iceberg has become an archetypal image of climate change, yet such images paint a fairly accurate picture of the future for these Arctic-dwelling animals. They rely on sea ice to hunt, travel, mate and make dens, so the melting of ice caps and rising sea levels represents a huge threat. In fact, if climate change continues unmitigated, scientists estimate that polar bears could be extinct by the end of this century.
We often take butterflies and other insects for granted, but a staggering report by the IUCN in 2022 saw the migratory monarch butterfly added to its endangered list. The iconic orange and black winged insect's western population has dropped by 99.9% since the 1980s, while the North American community has dwindled by 72% in the last decade. A loss of habitat, increased use of herbicides and pesticides for agriculture, plus climate change, are all to blame for the demise of this beautiful creature, known for its incredible continent-spanning annual migration.
The ocean's most gentle giant is another species on the verge of extinction. Sadly, in August 2022, dugongs were declared extinct in China, with zero confirmed sightings since 2000. As the only vegetarian marine mammal, their slow, relaxed behaviour has made them vulnerable to overfishing and shipping accidents. The whale-like tailed mammals still exist in other tropical parts of the world, particularly shallow coastal waters of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans, although they continue to decline in numbers worldwide.
With its fluffy, mask-like face and auburn fur, it's hard to fathom why anyone would want to harm a red panda. But its distinctive coat is also contributing to its undoing – red pandas are poached in China and Myanmar, with their pelts later turned into fashion accessories. Habitat loss and climate change are also contributing to the species' decline: according to WWF, there are fewer than 10,000 individuals remaining across Asia. To help safeguard the fragile numbers of these endangered animals, the WWF promotes sustainable development in communities where killing, buying and selling red pandas would have previously generated income.
One of North America's most at-risk mammals, the black-footed ferret was once thought to be entirely extinct. Since it was rediscovered in Wyoming in 1981, efforts to pull the continent's only native ferret species back from the brink have been relentless. Through conservation projects like captive breeding programmes, reintroductions and cloning, the population of these animals has now surpassed the 300 mark. While habitat destruction and disease remain persistent threats, biologists have suggested that there will soon be as many as 3,000 adult black-footed ferrets back in the wild.
Overfishing has already claimed one of the two dolphin species to reside in Asia's longest river – the Baiji dolphin was declared functionally extinct in 2006. Now concerted efforts are underway to ensure the same sad fate doesn't befall the critically-endangered Yangtze finless porpoise, whose numbers have slumped to around 500-1,800. By reconnecting floodplain lakes to the Yangtze River's main branch and providing fishers with access to alternative revenue streams, WWF aims to secure the future of this precious river porpoise.
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