Sumatran elephant upgraded to critically endangered status
(Indonesia) mardi 24 janvier 2012 Species has lost half its
population and 69% of its habitat through deforestation in the
past 25 years The Sumatran elephant has been placed on the list
of critically endangered species after losing half of its
population in a single generation, prompting calls from
conservation groups for emergency measures to halt the
destruction of its habitat. Deforestation is seen as the primary
reason for the collapse in numbers in Indonesia, which until
recently was seen alongside India and Sri Lanka as one of the
last great refuges for elephants in Asia. The animal is now at
risk of becoming extinct within decades. The International Union
for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) upgraded the risk
assessment after tracking the loss of 69% of the animal’s
habitat over the past 25 years. With their home forests burned,
felled or converted to plantations, the wild population has
fallen to no more than 2,800. In its latest "red list"