As the human population and activity has expanded over the past century animals have increasingly found themselves in the way, suffering hugely as a result:

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) carried out a sample of all organisms in 2006, discovering that 40% were classed as endangered species.

Numerous animal species are in danger but how can you help?

One of the best ways to is adopt an animal. Here are the 10 animals that we feature on the site:

• Adelie Penguins –  food shortages and melting ice has resulted in a fall in their population of 65%, although approximately 5 million are still alive today.
• Amur Leopards – one of the most endangered animals in the world, less than 35 Amur Leopards remain in the wild.
• Asian Elephants – very clever animals, both Asian and African elephants are now endangered.
• Bengal Tigers – the tiger population has declined by 95%, leaving just 4,000 remaining.
• Black Rhinos – back in 1900 there were several hundred thousand rhinos alive, but today there are less than 25,000.



• Bottlenose Dolphins – one of the animals living off the shores of the UK, pollution, fishing and commercial shipping are threats to bottlenose dolphins.
• Giant Pandas – one the world’s most loved animals, one of the major challenges to overcome is their low birth rate.
• Hawksbill Turtles – every year a quarter of a million turtles die in fishing nets, and the hawksbill turtle is now classified as critically endangered.
• Orangutans – in 1900 there were over 300,000 orangutans in the wild compared to less than 50,000 today.
• Polar Bears – the animal most associated with the threat posed by global warming.