5 FACTS ABOUT

ALMOST-EXTINCT SPECIES

1 Javan rhino

There are only 74 wild individuals left in the world, which live on the Indonesian island of Java. These armoured giants once roamed throughout Asia and northeast India just 150 years ago.

2 Mountain gorillas

Nesting in the dense forests of the Congo Basin, mountain gorilla numbers are currently just over 1,000. This is an increase compared to previous years, but habitat loss and hunting continues to threaten their existence.

3 Asian elephant

In just 75 years the population of Asian elephants has dropped by roughly 50 per cent, with around 50,000 remaining in the wild.

4 Orangutan

Around 100 years ago there were more than 230,000 of these orange apes swinging through the trees. Current estimates put wild Bornean populations at 104,700 and Sumatran numbers at only 14,000.

5 Vaquita

The rarest marine mammal, these little porpoises are on the verge of extinction, with just ten known individuals swimming through Mexico’s Gulf of California. Vaquita are killed by illegal fishing in protected areas.