The world is currently facing the 6th mass extinction (PNAS). Close to half of all land mammals "have lost 80% of their range in the last century"(The Guardian). A century ago, over 200,000 lions roamed the plains of Africa and it is estimated that 100,000 tigers were in Asia. Today, there are only about 20,000 lions and 3,900 tigers left in the wild (Source: Panthera).
In the last century, 90% of the African elephant population has been decimated (BBC). Over a hundred years ago, grizzly bear territory ranged from Alaska to Central Mexico. Now they can only be found in 2% of their former range and only about 1,500 to 1,700 remain in the contiguous United States and about 30,000 in Alaska (Source: Center for Biological Diversity).
Orangutans are critically endangered. Wild orangutans are only endemic to the rainforests of Malaysia’s Borneo and Indonesia’s Sumatra. There are only about 13,000 Sumatran orangutans left. The demand for palm oil has drastically decreased their habitat (Source: WWF).
The population of mountain gorillas are even more endangered. It is estimated that only about a thousand remain in the wild (Source: WWF). Lemurs are native to Madagascar and are the most endangered mammal species in the world. 95% of the world’s lemur species are on the brink of extinction (Source: Ecowatch).
