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October 6, 2008
One in four mammals face extinction
Posted: 01:06 PM ET
The Red Ruffed Lemur is a critically endangered species native to Madagascar.
The Red Ruffed Lemur is a critically endangered species native to Madagascar.

Al Goodman
Madrid Bureau Chief

Nearly a fourth of the world’s mammals are threatened with extinction, a leading international conservation group said Monday as it unveiled its latest global study of the problem.

Harp seals are among the mammals under threat, according to the latest IUCN Red List.

At least 1,141 of the 5,487 mammals on Earth, or 21 percent, are endangered species, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said at the start of its World Conservation Congress in Barcelona.

The problem appears to be getting worse since the IUCN’s last comprehensive survey of mammals 12 years ago, the IUCN’s Jan Schipper told CNN. But he added that more study will be needed in the coming months.

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11 Comments
Filed under: Planet in Peril
11 Comments
Cindy   October 6th, 2008 1:24 pm ET

It is sad that these mammals are becoming extinct. One of the main causes is that the world’s population is just growing at such a high rate and these animals have to lose their habitats so these people have places to live or can use the resources of the land to live off of. What can be done to change that? Stop the high rate of human reproduction? That’ll never happen.

Cindy…Ga.

Maria   October 6th, 2008 2:02 pm ET

Let’s go back to the dinosaur era, before human being even exists, it is widely acceptable that climate changes play crucial rule on dinosaur extinction. Currently, man significantly enhances creatures (mammals and non mammals) extinction by intervening directly or indirectly with animal natural habitat. Global warming, a man made environmental disaster affect food chain and breeding habitat of animals that affect animal production and life span and terribly endanger many species. Coral reef, a precious water creatures that habitat tens of creatures are so sensitive to climate changes and its extinction will consequently affect other creatures life span. Man is far away from Antarctic, yet Antarctic penguin is threatened with extinction due to global warming. So no wonder if one fourth of the world’s mammals are threatened with extinction.

jim   October 6th, 2008 4:12 pm ET

This is not the fault of Global warming which is a myth started by Al Gore. Climate change has been going on for millions of years and is not due to the human race. Get over it Jack Cafferty. Animals are becoming extinct due to loss of Habitat and illegal hunting. There is no way to stop illegal hunting by poachers who don’t care about animal extinction. Unfortunately there is no effort from any country or the UN to try and stop it. Just is there no way to enforce pollution standards on China. I would like to see Al Gore go to china and tell the government to stop burning dirty coal!!!Unfortunately there is no effort from any country or the UN to try and stop it.

JimS   October 6th, 2008 4:34 pm ET

What are you going to do when 1/3rd then ALL life in the sea is dead?
What are you going to do when men are scorched with heat? this things were prophisied almost 2000 years ago

Tanya   October 6th, 2008 6:28 pm ET

Attributing these kinds of crises to Biblical prophecy gives people an excuse to throw up their hands and claim inevitability. But people can do something about this.

Annie Kate   October 6th, 2008 6:55 pm ET

Scientists recently discovered dozens of new species of animals and plants, a good portion of which were already endangered and on the brink of extinction. I wonder how many other species we don’t know about are in the same boat.

While extinction has always been with us the rate of extinction in recent years has accelerated. Most of that is from humans - poaching, illegal wildlife trade, climate change. Humans need to help conserve the diversity of species we have on this earth. Since we are at the top of the food chain, we have a vested interest in doing so. If everything below us in the food chain goes extinct then man will follow soon after.

Annie Kate
Birmingham AL

Mary V., Salt Lake City, UT   October 6th, 2008 7:09 pm ET

SAD. OF COURSE, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS GLOBAL WARMING.

Eugenia-San Francisco, Ca   October 6th, 2008 7:26 pm ET

I just can not understand how people can not take into account that Earth goes through climate cycles.

Melissa, Los Angeles   October 6th, 2008 8:07 pm ET

I think the majority of people will become concerned when people become endangered. Until then many will live in blissful ignorance and believe that global warming doesn’t exist and is all just a part of the earth’s cycle. I personally believe the earth’s cycle and global warming both co-exist and are going to make life a lot harder sooner than we think.

Debbie CItrus Heights CA   October 6th, 2008 10:06 pm ET

Although humans have not caused global warming, we definately have been accelerating it for the past few decades. The loss of animals and plants have also been accelerated through humans, habitat loss, encroachment and poaching. Its time to get past the partisan bickering, stop being so defensive (I didn’t do it attitude) and try to slow it down, at the minimum. Take steps to slow it down yourself and support groups that are taking steps to do so. Otherwise, we will have a meltdown worse than the current economic
meltdown. Ignoring it doesn’t make it go away.

Anna, HK   October 6th, 2008 11:33 pm ET

In the wild, mammals becoming extinct can be partly due to ‘natural selection’ or survival of the fittest. However, evolution in real time is also happening too - something that is not obvious now, not till many many years later. New species are being discovered possibly because previously known existing animals have adapted into new environments, diets etc. A way to prevent a species from disappearing would be to isolated & create an exact replica of their natural environment - where destructive external factors eg diseases, predators (other animals, humans) - are removed & ideal factors implemented to maintain their optimal lifecycle. This leads us back to politics…

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