The Okapi, nicknamed the "forest giraffe," headlines the IUCN's Red List of critical endangered species published on Monday, National Geographic reported. With its longer than average neck, giraffe-like facial characteristics, and the fur pattern of a zebra on its legs only, the Okapi is quite the sight in the rainforests of Congo and also the country's national symbol, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
But the Okapi, like many exotic creatures, is hunted for its skin. The large mammal is also desired for its meat while Congolese civil war has prevented governmental agencies from taking the necessary actions to protect its habitat, according to the IUCN.
"The Okapi is revered in Congo as a national symbol - it even features on the Congolese franc banknotes," said Dr Noëlle Kümpel co-chair of the IUCN SSC Giraffe and Okapi Specialist Group and manager of ZSL's range-wide okapi conservation project. "Sadly, DRC has been caught up in civil conflict and ravaged by poverty for nearly two decades, leading to widespread degradation of Okapi habitat and hunting for its meat and skin. Supporting government efforts to tackle the civil conflict and extreme poverty in the region are critical to securing its survival."
Also on the IUCN's critically endangered list is the White-Winged Flufftail, a "small, secretive bird from Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and South Africa." More research relating to their ecology is needed before conservation groups can help save the species, according to the IUCN.
In an attempt to add some positivity to the list so it's not all "doom and gloom" according to IUCN's Craig Hilton Taylor, the conservation group highlighted three species that have shown recent signs of recovery. One species native to the United States is the Island Fox, found on the California Channel Islands in southern California. All four of its subspecies' statuses were upgraded from "Critically Endangered" to "Near Threatened," largely in part to conservation efforts by the U.S Park service, such as captive breeding, reintroduction, and vaccinations.
Another species on the comeback trail is the Leatherback Sea Turtle, voluminous in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean but previously categorized as "Critically Endangered" (and now "Vulnerable) in the East Pacific Ocean, where the giant turtles have been accidentally snagged in fishing trips and their eggs have been harvested for food, according to the IUCN.
