Ocean Sentry
(From efluxmedia.com) Barcelona- The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced Monday that more than 1,140 mammals are in danger of extinction. South African IUCN conservation expert Michael Hoffmann gave examples of the most highly threatened species of mammals. They include:
Vancouver Island marmot (Marmota vancouverensis): 35 animals surviving in the wild, only on Vancouver Island, Canada.
Hainan gibbon (Nomascus hainanus): Around 20 animals in the wild, only on Hainan Island, China.
Kouprey (Bos sauveli): Formerly in mainland south-east Asia, now possibly extinct.
Javan rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus): An estimated 40 to 60 animals on the western tip of Java in Ujung Kulon National Park, and a smaller population in the Cat Tien National Park of Vietnam, with around six individuals remaining.
Baiji or Chinese river dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer): Probably the most threatened cetacean in the world, not sighted since 2002.
Red wolf (Canis rufus): Less than 50 mature individuals survive, only in a reintroduced population in North Carolina, US.
Little earth hutia (Mesocapromys sanfelipensis): A rodent known only from Cuba, where it has not been seen in nearly 40 years.
Santa Catarina’s guinea pig (Cavia intermedia): No more than 60 individuals, only in Serra do Tabuleiro State Park on Moleques Island do Sul, Brazil.
Wild horse (Equus ferus): fewer than 50 mature individuals remain in the wild.
Gilbert’s potoroo (Potorous gilberti): between 30 and 40 individuals in western Australia.
