Rare animals pushed closer to extinction, scientists warn

NEARLY 50 rare mammals including tigers, leopards, sambar and fishing cats could face extinction, conservationists warned yesterday.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature list of vulnerable species also included more than 70 other mammals from India on its alert “red list”.

Professor Luigi Boitani of Sapienza Universita di Roma, an IUCN partner organisation, said: “The trend is particularly dramatic for south-east Asia which suffers from increasing human activities, with deforestation being the major issue.”

The union report adds that almost one in four of the world’s 5,487 mammal species is at risk of disappearing forever and at least 76 mammals have become extinct since 1500.

Dr Bibhab Talukdar, a leading conservationist in India and member of the National Board for Wildlife, said: “Species are threatened mostly due to poaching and habitat encroachment.

“We should now concentrate on how best to minimise this through active conservation methods. This is an opportunity for us to improve efforts and bring endangered species out of IUCN’s red list.”

Of the Indian mammals on the red list, 10 have been listed as critically endangered, 39 as endangered, 48 are vulnerable to extinction and 29 in the near threatened category, showing a sharp decline in their population. The list also indicates that 16 species of mammals are from India’s Western Ghats, including the protected areas of Goa.

The list puts the sambar, the largest Indian deer, in the vulnerable species category and the leopard, found in protected areas in Goa, in the near threatened species category.

The rare fishing cat has moved from vulnerable to endangered species due to heavy loss of habitat. The Asiatic wild ass and the tiger were also on the endangered list.

Poaching, habitat destruction and pollution are some of the reasons causing the number of species to decline.

Apart from mammals, 14 Indian tarantulas have found their way on to the list for the first time due to the danger they face from the international pet trade.