WWF warns of the risk of the most massive animal extinction since the extinction of the dinosaurs

In the next 10 years, the Earth may face the most massive animal extinction since the extinction of the dinosaurs. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) warns about this, transfers Daily Mail.

About a million species can become extinct within a decade. African elephants, polar bears, some sharks, frogs, fish and plants are threatened.

Currently, 142,500 species are included in the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), of which 40,000 are endangered.

This is the largest figure since tracking began in 1964.

WWF warns that the population of the African forest elephant has declined by 86% in 31 years. Polar bears are in danger due to the melting of Arctic ice: experts fear that by the summer of 2035 there will be no ice in the Arctic at all.

Overfishing and destruction of natural habitats have resulted in declining populations of all shark and ray species.

At the same time, WWF notes that in 2021 there were several examples of successful struggle for the conservation of species, and this gives hope. For example, the number of Indian rhinos in Nepal has grown by 16 percent in the past 6 years thanks to dedicated conservation efforts. The program for the reintroduction of the bearded vulture (a bird of the hawk family) in the Alps has shown itself to be successful.