Wildlife

7,000 species added to endangered 'Red List'

Mankind's destruction of nature is driving species to the brink of extinction at an "unprecedented" rate, the leading wildlife conservation body warned Thursday as it added more than 7,000 animals, fish and plants to its endangered "Red List".

From the canopies of tropical forests to the ocean floor, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said iconic species of primates, rays, fish and trees were now classified as critically endangered.

The group has now assessed more than 105,000 species worldwide, around 28,000 of which risk extinction.

While each group of organisms face specific threats, human behaviour, including overfishing and deforestation, was the biggest driver of plummeting populations.

"Nature is declining at rates unprecedented in human history," said IUCN acting director general, Grethel Aguilar. "We must wake up to the fact that conserving nature's diversity is in our interest."

Exhausted rhinos rest on dry land amidst India Floods

A telling picture of exhausted rhinos resting on patches of land at the Kaziranga National Park in the wake of the devastating floods in Assam has surfaced on the internet. Rising floodwater levels in the state posed a threat to the wild animals in Kaziranga, which has been entirely under water owing to incessant rains in the region.