Studies have shown that there is an imbalance in the natural environment. Environmental phenomena caused by natural forces and man’s activities has proven to be threatening the continued existence of certain species. According to reports, the world is on track to lose two-thirds of its wildlife population by the end of 2020.
Recently, quite a number of species have been pushed into extinction by adverse environmental conditions and anthropogenic activities. Let’s take a brief look at species that went into extinction recently:
Chinese paddlefish
Several surveys have failed to locate the presence of the Chinese paddlefish, and so, it was declared extinct in December, 2019.
Overfishing and habitat fragmentation is speculated to be the cause of this species extinction. It became endangered between 2005 to 2010 and then eventually died out in 2019.
Yangtze giant softshell turtle
This species became effectively extinct after the last female turtle passed away.
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The last known female of this rare species, named Xiangxiang, died in an artificial insemination process in April, 2019.
Indian Cheetah
According to a report by ANI in September, 2019, it was stated that the Indian Cheetah, along with three other species has gone extinct in India due to desertification.
Catarina Pupfish
This species of fish was living in the wild until 1994. It was moved to captivity due to rapid decline in its population. It survived till 2012 and then got completely extinct in 2019.
Primarily, its extinction is a result of habitat destruction caused by groundwater extraction.
Indochinese tiger
This species of tiger is completely extinct in the wild but there are a few living in captivity. The tiger, which is mainly found in Southeast Asia, is completely wiped out in Cambodia and the largest number of tigers are now residing in Thailand. Hunting and poaching are the main cause of its extinction.
