According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature based in Spain, 1,141 of the planet’s 5,487 mammals are under real danger of being wiped off the face of the Earth.

“Within our lifetime hundreds of species could be lost as a result of our own actions, a frightening sign of what is happening to the ecosystems where they live,” the organization’s director general, Julia Marton-Lefevre, said in a statement. “We must now set clear targets for the future to reverse this trend to ensure that our enduring legacy is not to wipe out many of our closest relatives.”

The Union came up with what they called it “The Red List”, which includes 188 mammals who are facing extinction. While 29 species are listed as possibly extinct.

British species on the list include the hooded seal, the Chinese water deer and the sperm whale.

However, the authors also found that five per cent of species were recovering – including the European bison and the black-footed ferret of North America.

The wild horse has come back from extinction to critically endangered after it was released back into the wild in Mongolia.

Sources – UPI- Mail Online