Conservation

Living on the edge

Oct 6th 2008
From Economist.com

More species of wildlife are under threat

IT IS not just investment bankers who face extinction: more animals are now at risk too. The International Union for Conservation of Nature publishes the Red List, its annual inventory of species under threat, on Monday 6th October. The bleak news is that of the 44,838 species considered, 16,928 are threatened with extinction, including almost a quarter of the world's mammals. It is not all bad news though. Some endangered species, such as African Elephants and Wild Horses, are beginning to recover. Less photogenic beasts should beware; conservationists find it easier to stir up public sympathy for charismatic megafauna. Emma's Giant Rat and Rameshwaram Parachute Spiders are a lot less cuddly but just as much at risk.

M. Siliwal