Mammals on the latest Red List of endangered species in South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland have been given their own star spot on the web.
Mammals on the latest Red List of endangered species in South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland have been given their own star spot on the web.
The recently published 2016 Red List, part sponsored by De Beers, showed that the battle for conservation remains as tough as ever.
To highlight the risk of extinction mammals face, mainly through loss of habitat or hunting, the Endangered Wildlife Trust is featuring each week on its website www.ewt.org.za one of the mammals at risk.
The first web star was the Four-toed Sengi, threatened by habitat loss and use for bushmeat. It is possibly the largest of the African sengi species. When alarmed, it rapidly stamps its hind feet, making a sound that is audible many metres away.
Biodiversity Manager Warwick Mostert said: “There are, sadly, dozens of mammals to choose from for the ‘mammal of the week’ spot.
“This is a way of making the threats to these mammals more widely known. We think that, if people get to see the endangered mammals, and this one is particularly cute, rather than just reading their description, it might help get the message across better.
“By our sponsorship, we at De Beers are pleased to be playing our part in the battle to protect and preserve these creatures.”
The 2016 Red List was funded via the South African National Biodiversity Institute (through a grant by the Norwegian Government), the Endangered Wildlife Trust, the Department of Environmental Affairs and E Oppenheimer & Son, as well as De Beers.
Read more about the latest Red List.