DW-World.de
Deutsche Welle

A major international survey has shown that half the world's mammals are declining in population and more than a third probably face extinction. The updated "Red List", included in the annual report by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, said the destruction of habitats and hunting were the main causes for the decline. The survey showed the most vulnerable groups as being primates and marine mammals, including several species of whales, dolphins and porpoises. Altogether nearly 40 percent of the around 45,000 plant and animal species catalogued in the list are classified as "threatened" with extinction, with 3,000 of them classified as "critically endangered".