Vultures, great apes as well as other creatures are at a risk of disappearing from the face of the Earth, according to the annual Red List of Threatened Species released by the World Conservation Union.
The report says that there are at least 41,415 species vulnerable on the planet. Of them 16,306 are threatened with extinction. This number is up from 16,118 reported in 2006. The report also said that 785 species were already extinct and that a further 65 were found only in captivity.
The report says that the condition of our ancestors, the great apes, is particularly worrisome. The Western Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) is now listed Critically Endangered species. It has moved from the Endangered category. The report says the gorilla population has been hit hard by the Ebola virus as well as bushmeat trade.
Illegal logging is also hurting Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii) as well as Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), the report added.
Additionally Galápagos species of corals appear for the first time on the Red List, while the Yangtze River Dolphin is listed as Critically Endangered. The report says the species might possibly be extinct.
“This year's IUCN Red List shows that the invaluable efforts made so far to protect species are not enough. The rate of biodiversity loss is increasing and we need to act now to significantly reduce it and stave off this global extinction crisis. This can be done, but only with a concerted effort by all levels of society," said a statement released by Julia Marton-Lefèvre, the Director General of the World Conservation Union.
Vultures in Africa and Asia have also declined with many species moving into the Endangered category.
Among plants, the Woolly-stalked Begonia (Begonia eiromischa) has been declined extinct, while the Wild Apricot (Armeniaca vulgaris) makes an appearance in the Endangered category.
"We expect the situation across taxonomic groups to be, quite honest, quite bleak. One needs to know how bleak," Jane Smart, the chief of the species program at the World Conservation Union. "If we received a lot more money, we would have a lot more species on the Red List."
