Animals in the Rain Forest That Are Nearly Extinct

Deforestation, the destruction of forests to make room for urban development, has landed hundreds of animals that live in the rain forest on the international Red List of Threatened Species. Animals on the list are classified as either vulnerable, near-threatened threatened, endangered or critically endangered. The animals classified as critically endangered face the greatest risk of extinction.

  1. Sumatran Tiger

    • The Sumatran tiger resides only on Sumatra, an Indonesian island located off the Malaysian Peninsula. A tiger census in 1978 reported that there were approximately 1,000 Sumatran tigers left in the wild. Twenty-five years later, that number had been cut in half so that there were only between 500 and 600 of the tigers remaining in the wild. Habitat loss and poaching are the greatest threat to the tigers' survival despite laws that make hunting tigers illegal.

    Sumatran Orangutan

    • Like the Sumatran tiger, the Sumatran orangutan calls the Indonesian island of Sumatra its home. Estimates hold that the Sumatran orangutan population will decline 97 percent within the next 50 years if measures are not taken to preserve the species. Hunting and habitat destruction are the major threats to the survival of the Sumatran orangutan. Reports suggest that the orangutans are food to the human inhabitants of Batang Toru and Sipirok.

    Javan Rhinoceros

    • With only around 60 Javan rhinoceroses left in the wild, the rhino may be the rarest mammal on Earth. Poaching and habitat destruction are the biggest threats to the rhino's survival. Before 2010, there were two known populations of the Javan rhinoceros; 25 to 56 rhinos lived on the Ujung Kulon peninsula in Java, Indonesia, and a few rhinos resided in Cat Tien National Park in Vietnam. However, a mass poaching incident in 2010 left zoologists uncertain as to whether any of the rhinos remain in Vietnam.

    Lear's Macaw

    • The Lear's macaw is a species of parrot that lives in the Brazilian rain forest. It is estimated that there are only 150 or fewer of the birds remaining in the wild. There are several reasons for the endangerment of Lear's macaws. They are food for Brazilians, traded in the illegal pet trade and the victims of habitat destruction. Scientists predict that the birds will become extinct within only 10 years.