The snow leopard is still vulnerable but it has been successfully protected from poachers David Willis/BBCAntelopes once roamed African savannahs in vast numbers but poaching and rapid human population growth mean several species are facing extinction. The Christmas Island pipistrelle bat is extinct IUCN Red ListThe world’s largest antelope, the giant eland, which can run at more than 40mph and jump a 6ft fence, is one of five species of the mammal “declining drastically”, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The conservation body, which compiles the Red List of threatened species, said that there were fewer than 10,000 mature giant elands. Conflict in the Central African Republic was also hampering efforts to protect the species, said the IUCN, which has 1,300 members, including governments and wildlife groups. The South African population of mountain reedbuck, a medium-sized antelope, has more than halved in the past 15…

Source: The Times September 14, 2017 23:01 UTC