In the News: Many of World’s Mammals Face Extinction

At least one-quarter of the world's wild mammal species are at risk of extinction, according to a survey of scientists by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The group's assessment involved 1,700 scientists in 130 countries and took five years to complete. Nearly 80 percent of primates in South and Southeast Asia are thought to face extinction, principally the largest species. A sharp decline in mammals was found across the globe. Threats cited by scientists included habitat devastation across the Tropics, deforestation in Asia, Africa and the Americas and hunting in Asia, Africa and South America. Meanwhile, in an effort to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale, the U.S. government mandated an 11.5-mph speed limit for ships 65 feet or longer that travel along the Atlantic Coast, where the whales breed and feed.

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