1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
In focus
German election 2025Middle East crisisRussia's war in Ukraine
Latest audioLatest videos
Live TV
A zookeeper holds a baby Chinese pangolin to be weighed at the Prague Zoo, Czech Republic
Image: Petr David Josek/AP/picture alliance Image: Petr David Josek/AP/picture alliance

Endangered species

The Earth is currently facing an extinction crisis because of the destruction of habitat, unlimited hunting and huge industrial agriculture. And here humans are to blame for driving numerous species to extinction.

Skip next section All Content on this topic

All Content on this topic

Kaiserpinguine

Giant penguin once reached human heights

A few million years after the dinosuars went extinct a large, beefy, penguin rose to prominence in New Zealand.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 12, 2017
Dolphin jumping out of water

Rare — and doing just fine

We often think that rare species are also in danger of going extinct. But some of them do just fine in small numbers.
Nature and EnvironmentDecember 7, 2017
external

The plight of pangolins

Their scales are used in traditional remedies for ailments such as asthma, rheumatism and arthritis.
November 30, 201700:52 min
Bahuaja Sonene National Park, people on beach, sitting around an open fire

Turtles in need

River turtle eggs are a delicacy in Peru. Increasing appetite for the eggs is threatening the animals with extinction.
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 28, 2017
A boy looks at a 30 tons weighs dead whale after it stranded on Ipanema Beach coast in Rio de Janerio, Brazil

Beached whales

Every year, some two thousand whales are found stranded on beaches all over the world. But how do they get there?
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 23, 2017
Visitors look at specimens of animals on display at the Shanghai Natural History Museum

Disappearing biodiversity

The passenger pigeon, the woolly mammoth and the Tasmanian tiger – all extinct. But how many animals have died out?
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 22, 2017
Botswana Afrikanische Elefanten mit einem toten Artgenossen

Can trophy hunting help species survival?

Can the controlled slaughter of vulnerable African elephants be beneficial for conservation?
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 17, 2017
An African elephant lifting up its trunk

Outrage over Trump elephant trophy ban reversal

Trump's administration has decided to allow hunters to import the body parts of African elephants killed for sport.
Nature and EnvironmentNovember 16, 2017
T-Rex Tyrannosaurus rex Jurassic Park

Absolutely wrong place, absolutely wrong time

The asteroid that wiped out dinosaurs should have had a very low chance of triggering mass extinction, scientists say.
ScienceNovember 9, 2017
Scientists release young fish near a 'Biohut' artificial habitat

Biohut — a safe harbor for small fish

To repopulate our seas, there's now a nursery for young marine life.
Nature and EnvironmentOctober 27, 20176 images
DW eco@africa - South Africa’s great white sharks facing extinction

South Africa's great white sharks facing extinction

Great white sharks near South Africa may number as few as 350. "Save Our Seas" tries to help them co-exist with humans.
Nature and EnvironmentOctober 26, 201705:10 min
Ruanda Berggorillas

Welcoming Rwanda's gorilla babies

Rwanda's mountain gorillas were once on the brink of extinction. Now they're welcoming the latest baby arrivals.
Nature and EnvironmentOctober 26, 201704:23 min
Frankreich Adler zur Bekämpfung von Dronen

Europe remains a major bird killer

Despite legal protection, illegal bird killings are still largely happening in Europe.
Nature and EnvironmentOctober 24, 2017
A gorillas in Rwanda

Protecting Africa's endangered mountain gorillas

Civil war, deforestation, disease and poaching have driven the mighty mountain gorilla to the brink of extinction.
Nature and EnvironmentOctober 9, 2017
Illustration Riesen-Ratte

Giant coconut-eating rat found in Solomon Islands

Scientists have recorded a new species but warn that habitat loss means it is already close to extinction.
Nature and EnvironmentSeptember 27, 2017
Initiative Seeds for Needs

Mass extinction could take food off the table

A focus on mass species extinction misses the threat to food staples.
Nature and EnvironmentSeptember 26, 2017
DW Sendung Made in Germany Insektensterben

Insects' extinction: No insects, no food

Insects pollinate many crop plants, but insect populations are collapsing, and not only in Germany.
BusinessSeptember 26, 201703:39 min
Germany's Green Belt

From death zone to nature reserve

This year's German Environmental Prize winner talks about the Green Belt, and how other countries may carry it forward.
Nature and EnvironmentSeptember 7, 2017
Wolf

Germans divided over return of wolves

Wolves are making a comeback in Germany. But the return of a feared predator has the human population fiercely divided.
Nature and EnvironmentAugust 31, 2017
A rhino lies dead on the ground, the place where its horn should be is a bloodied gash

Controversial rhino horn auction in South Africa

A private breeder is auctioning rhino horn after a court ruled that domestic sales of the horn were legal.
PoliticsAugust 25, 2017
Indonesien Orang-Utans Bedrohung durch Waldrodung

Not an ape's world

Ahead of International Orangutan Day on Saturday - the big apes are still facing extinction due to deforestation.
Nature and EnvironmentAugust 18, 2017
Global 3000 Kolumbien Hokkuhuhn

Colombian bird sanctuary

The blue-billed curassow is Colombia’s most endangered bird. Its habitat is fast disappearing.
Nature and EnvironmentAugust 11, 201706:19 min
Deforestation at Korindo oil palm concession at Merauke, West Papua, Indonesia

Palm oil everywhere

Palm oil is found in everything from food to cosmetics. And it doesn't mix well with sea water.
Nature and EnvironmentAugust 10, 2017
Bottlenose dolphins

10 animal species that show how being gay is natural

Same-sex pairing is normal in the animal kingdom. Studies suggest that about 1,500 animal species practice gay coupling.
Nature and EnvironmentAugust 2, 201710 images
Loxodonta africana

Anthropocene apocalypse?

News of a sixth mass extinction makes for frightening reading. Is it really inevitable?
Nature and EnvironmentJuly 14, 2017
Princeton Field Guides - Dinosaurs Dinosaurier

World experiencing 'mass extinction event'

The planet is undergoing a "biological annihilation" of its animal species, a new study argues.
ScienceJuly 11, 2017
Western Australia swamp tortoise

Climate change: Move it or lose it?

Moving species to new habitats could save them from climate change - but some scientists have doubts.
Nature and EnvironmentJune 13, 2017
external

Protesting to end shark meat sales

Dressed in shark costumes, protesters marched to a popular restaurant in Hong Kong, demanding an end to shark fin sales.
June 10, 201700:35 min
Adler_2

The return of the eagle

The eagle is making a slow comeback from the brink of extinction in Germany - the "Bird Man" lets you get up close.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 30, 2017
Last remaining male northern white rhino seen at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in central Kenya

Swipe right to save the rhino

The world's last male northern white rhino has joined Tinder in a bid to save his species from extinction.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 26, 2017
Whareatea West, New Zealand

Coal versus Kiwis

A long mining tradition in New Zealand is clashing with efforts to protect pristine nature.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 23, 2017
Maui's dolphin

The last of their kind

These are some of the rarest animals on the planet.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 19, 2017
A rescued albino Orang-Utan, Borneo

Name sought for rescued albino orangutan

After her rescue from illegal captivity in Borneo, this rare albino orangutan needs a name.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 12, 2017
Atlantic puffins congregate near their burrows on Eastern Egg Rock, a small island off the coast of Maine

Will Brexit harm biodiversity?

Without key EU environment laws, decliningUK wildlife species may need stronger protection.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 11, 2017
Little desert tortoise

Tanks and tortoises

US marines and biologists are airlifting threatened desert tortoises to new locations safe from military training.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 9, 2017
A baby Sunda pangolin and its mother are seen at the Singapore's Night Safari

Pangolin scale seizure

Malaysian officials have seized nearly a ton of pangolin scales. Pangolins are the world's most trafficked mammals.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 8, 2017
Lapwing - a black-white bird with colorful shimmering wings

'Dramatic' decline in European birds

Habitat loss and a decline in insects are two of the main factors behind how an alarming decrease in Europe's birds.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 4, 2017
Lynx

Balkan Lynxes - the last of their kind

Environmental activists in the western Balkans are trying to save one of the rarest cats in the world: the Balkan lynx.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 2, 2017
Still from 1998 film Twins

'Unlikely twin' plants named after Hollywood duo

Life mimics art as Schwarzenegger's species takes all the purity and strength while DeVito's gets the dregs.
ScienceApril 28, 2017
DW eco@africa - Zimbabwe Viktoria Falls

Cheer up! Can optimism help protect the environment?

It's not all doom and gloom. The first Conservation Optimism Summit suggests a need, as well as a cause, for optimism.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 26, 2017
Großbritannien Wildblumen an Straße Oxeye Daisies

Road verges 'keep rare wildflowers from extinction'

Disregarded as insignificant, road verges help some of the rarest wildflowers in the UK survive, says a new study.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 25, 2017
Indien Fungoid frog

Flu cure from frogs?

The humble frog may hold the cure to some of our worst diseases. But many species are at risk of extinction.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 19, 2017
Greater Indian rhinoceros

Protected but not safe

Endangered animals are poached even in the world's protected areas, says conservation group WWF.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 18, 2017
DW eco@africa - Vultures

Saving Europe's vultures

Life is getting more difficult for black vultures on the Spanish island of Mallorca.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 10, 2017
DW eco@africa - Cheetah

Saving cheetahs

Cheetahs are loosing their race against extinction.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 6, 2017
Global Ideas – Gepard

Saving cheetahs

Cheetahs are loosing their race against extinction.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 5, 201703:46 min
DW Sendung Eco@africa Geier

Saving Europe's vultures

In many parts of Europe, black vultures have died out. Yet on the Spanish island of Mallorca the birds of prey have survived - largely due to shepherds. But as more leave the island, life is getting difficult for the vultures.
Nature and EnvironmentApril 5, 201703:58 min
DW Sendung Eco at Africa Giraffen

High hopes for giraffes

It might sound like a tall tale, but giraffes are in danger. Numbers are falling in West Africa. But there's hope. 
Nature and EnvironmentMarch 21, 2017
Südafrika Gepard

Saving cheetahs

The organization Cheetah Outreach is helping to save the big cats by explaining their importance to the ecosystem.
Nature and EnvironmentMarch 14, 2017
Südafrika Gepard

Endangered cheetahs in South Africa

Cheetahs may be facing extinction. A South African NGO is raising awareness about the speedy cats.
Nature and EnvironmentMarch 11, 201706:51 min