10 of the world's most endangered animals

Sunda pangolins are one of 8 species of pangolin. They are secretive, elusive and mostly nocturnal animals that live in forests across Southeast Asia. The main threat to this species is overexploitation from hunting and poaching. Pangolin meat is considered a luxury product in some countries and their scales are used as an ingredient in traditional medicines.^[3]

Like all pangolin species, international trade in Sunda pangolins is illegal. Despite this, multiple huge seizures have been made in recent decades, involving thousands of animals, that likely represents a small fraction of the trafficking actually taking place. As a result, the Sunda pangolin is increasingly rare across much of its former range.^[3]

The Amur leopard is one of the rarest big cats in the world, with only around 130 individuals left in the wild.^[4] Although their wild population seems to be stable and increasing, these leopard subspecies are still critically endangered since 1996. And there is good reason: Amur leopards can only be found in a relatively small region of the far east of Russia and north-eastern China at present.  

The remaining Amur leopards face multiple threats to their survival, including habitat loss and fragmentation, prey scarcity and transportation infrastructure such as roads. However, there is hope for this rare big cat. Protected areas cover 90% of the current range of Amur leopard population,^[4] and they are also moving into suitable habitats outside of these protected areas. 

The Sunda tiger, or the Sumatran tiger, is the smallest tiger subspecies in the world, weighing up to 140kg.^[5] For reference, the tigers that live in the Amur region are the biggest of all the big cats where males can weigh up to twice as much as Sunda tigers. They are also very rare - and are only found on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.^[6]

Between the 1980s and 2020, the human population of south-east Asia has nearly doubled, and this has had an impact on tiger numbers, which have been shrinking along with their habitats.

As development expands in the region, Sunda tigers are increasingly likely to encounter people, which could lead to a further rise in human-tiger conflict. Tiger poaching and illegal trading of tiger parts and products are also of serious concern to their survival.

To help protect them, Adopt a Tiger today.

The mountain gorilla lives in high-altitude forests in the volcanic, mountainous regions of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, northern Rwanda and western Uganda. In the wild they are only found in four National Parks – Virunga (DRC), Volcanoes (Rwanda), Mgahinga (Uganda) and Bwindi (Uganda)-Sarambwe (DRC).^[7]

Key threats to mountain gorillas include loss of habitat, civil unrest, injury or death through being accidentally trapped in illegal snares set for wild meat, and exposure to human diseases (mountain gorillas share 98% of our DNA and are therefore susceptible to human infections). Despite this, mountain gorillas are making a promising recovery thanks to conservation efforts by local and international partners including WWF through our partner organisation the International Gorilla Conservation Programme.

At present, mountain gorillas are currently listed as endangered species, with an estimated 1,063 individuals in the wild.^[8] However, multiple threats remain that unless mitigated will hinder the continued recovery of this species.

To help protect them, Adopt a Gorilla today.

Bornean orangutans are the largest tree-dwelling mammals in the world and they can only be found on the island of Borneo where there are thought to be 104,700 in the wild.^[9] But, they are critically endangered and it's estimated that over 100,000 Bornean orangutans were lost between 1999 and 2015.^[10]

Loss of habitat is one of the main threats to this species' survival. Between 1973 and 2010, 40% of key orangutan habitat was lost in Borneo.^[11]  The majority of wild Bornean orangutans are found in degraded forests and in forests that are exploited for timber.

Over the 12-year period between 2008-2019 WWF helped to restore over 2,200 hectares of degraded forests in Bukit Piton by planting around 346,000 trees.^[12] Now, WWF is working to identify and restore wildlife corridors between protected areas so orangutans can move freely and adapt to climate change. 

To help protect them, Adopt an Orangutan today.

The Yangtze Finless Porpoise is the odd one out of its family as it is the only living freshwater porpoise found in the world.^[13] This aquatic mammal currently resides in the Yangtze River in China and is listed as a critically endangered species.

While the Yangtze river plays a crucial role in healthy ecosystem functioning, years of environmental degradation, overfishing and water pollution in the region had detrimental impacts on many animal species who call it their home.

Once upon a time, Yangtze river dolphins used to live alongside finless porpoises, but there haven't been any freshwater dolphin sightings since 2002.^[14] Sadly, this could be yet another stark reminder of what soon may follow for many endangered species, including the Yangtze finless porpoise.

To protect this species, China has upgraded finless porpoises to ‘first level protected species’ in 2021—the highest level of protection available in the country and issued a 10 year fishing ban over the full length of the river. Results from the 2022 census conducted by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs show the first increase in Yangtze finless porpoise numbers since records began - rising from 1,012 to 1,249 over five years which is a great conservation success.^[15]

Between 1960 and 1995, black rhino populations suffered dramatic losses in their numbers due to large-scale poaching. Only around 2% of the population survived the severe poaching levels by the end of this period.^[16] As rhino conservation took hold, their numbers have more than doubled across Africa since the 1990s. But, black rhinos are still listed as critically endangered by the IUCN, with an estimated 6,421 individuals in the wild.^[17]

Three subspecies of black rhino now survive, with the western black rhino declared extinct in 2011. Today, 95% of black rhinos are found in just four countries: Kenya, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The biggest threat to the remaining population is still poaching for their horn. In the last decade, almost 10,000 African rhinos have been killed to supply the illegal rhino horn trade.^[18]

To help us protect them, Adopt a Rhino today.

Deep in the dense, humid forests of West and Central Africa, you can find the elusive forest elephant, one of the two African elephant species, the other being the African savanna elephant. The exact number of wild African forest elephants remains uncertain due to their shy nature and the nature of the habitat they occur in, but we do know that they are critically endangered species and have declined by over 80% in the last century.^[19]

The main threat driving the decline is poaching, which is frequent, widespread and intensive, especially in Central Africa. As well as elephant poaching, habitat loss and land-use change for agriculture and other land uses have resulted in fragmented habitats and thus increasing the potential for human-elephant conflict leading to losses on both sides.

Today, African forest elephants occupy only around 25% of their historic range,^[19] scattered across 20 different African nations, with most of the remaining population (72%) found in Gabon and the Republic of Congo. 

To help protect them, Adopt an Elephant today.

The Sumatran orangutan is found exclusively on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. They are listed as critically endangered by the IUCN with less than 14,000 individuals in the wild.^[20]

Sumatran orangutans face similar threats to their Bornean and Tapanuli counterparts. From logging, agricultural plantations, and expanding infrastructure development to the illicit pet trade.

Orangutans need vast tracts of connecting forest to live in, but between 1985 and 2007 these great apes lost an estimated 60% of their forest habitat.^[20] Today, the majority of these orangutans are found in the northernmost tip of Sumatra in the Leuser Ecosystem, a landscape that includes tropical lowland rainforests and steamy peatland swamps. 

To help protect them, Adopt an Orangutan today.

The Hawksbill turtle is one of the seven species of marine turtles and is found in nearshore tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic, the Indian, and the Pacific Ocean. They are critically endangered, although it's difficult to accurately assess their numbers since they are the true ocean wanderers.  

Worldwide populations of hawksbill turtles have reduced by 80% in the last 3 generations^[21] as a consequence of accidental capture in fishing gears, nesting habitat degradation, coral reef damage and the illegal trade of hawksbill shells and products.

Other human-led threats such as plastic pollution, climate change and rising sea levels could further contribute to the decline of this species in the future. At present, Hawksbill turtles are listed as critically endangered.

To help protect them, Adopt a Turtle today.