Top 10 Most Endangered Wild Animal Species of India

India is still home to some of the most beautiful creatures in the world, There are 400 wildlife sanctuaries and 80 National parks in India, which give shelter to the wide range of wild and Endangered Wild Animal. Because of deforestation and other human activity wild animals lost their habitat and reached at risk of become extinct. Indian is losing their animals due to Environmental pollution, deforestation,loss of habitat, human interference, poaching and hunting.

All animals and birds in India are rated as critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN) or Vulnerable (VU). Mainly endangered animals in India are big cats family includes snow leopard, Bengal tiger and Asiatic Lion, other India’s endangered animals are Purple Frog or Pig nose Frog,Great Indian Vulture,Indian giant squirrel,Giant Indian Fruit Bat,Great birds and King Kobra. Some of the extinct animals of India includes Asiatic cheetah,Pink headed duck and Indian aurochs.

Top 15 Endangered Wild Animal Species of India

Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)

The All members of Felide family,which includes three great cats Asiatic Lion,Bengal Tigers,wild cats and leopard, found in India are not in the so good population, Because of the excessive poaching, big cats in India are on the verge of extinction.

Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica)

Asiatic or great Indian lion only found in Gir national park is also one of the most endangered species of felide family. Today Gujarat lions are found only in Gir national parks and other near by parks.

Indian Elephant (Elephas maximus indicus)

Indian elephant is smaller than the African elephant species and native to mainland Asia but most of the population found in India. The elephant species is also threatened by habitat loss and Poaching for ivory, has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis)

The Great Indian Rhinoceros also called as One Horned Rhinoceros found in India. The Indian Rhinoceros has a single black horn which is present in both male and female species. The Great Indian Rhinoceros is the fourth largest animal in the world. The large endangered mammal is primarily found in parts of north-eastern India.

Today about 3,000 rhinos live in the wild, 2,000 of which are found in Manas and Kaziranga National Park Assam. Excessive hunting for its horn, reduced their natural habitat drastically.

Gaur (Bos gaurus) / Indian Bison

Indian Bison is the largest bovine native to the Indian Subcontinent and found mostly in central and eastern India. They are the largest species among the wild cattle and the Bovidae

Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia)

The snow leopard population estimated to number fewer than 10,000 or less individuals in the wild. They inhabits alpine and subalpine zones at elevations of 9,800–14,800 ft in great Himalayas of India.

Dhole Dog (Cuon alpinus)

Indian Wild Dog or Dhole is one of the top predators of wild forest,living in packs, hunting cooperatively and highly social animals. Asiatic wild dogs is also called the whistling hunter, because it has an extraordinary vocal call. Dhole is found in national parks of Assam, Bengal, Gujarat, Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, and Nilgiri Biosphere reserve of south India.

Lion Tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus)

Lion Tailed Macaque is India’s endangered primate species and also ranks among the rarest and most threatened monkey, endemic to the Western Ghats of South India.

Nilgiri Tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius)

Nilgiri Tahr is a wild sheep species, Endangered and endemic to the Nilgiri Hills of the Western Ghats. The Nilgiri ibex closely related to the sheep, inhabits the open montane grassland habitat in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

It is estimated that only 2500 Dholes are left in the wild. Threats to the dhole species include habitat destruction and loss of its main prey. There is a documentary available in Nat Geo as “The PACK”, which was one of the best documentary ever made on Asiatic wild dogs.

Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens)

The beautiful and endangered species,Indian Red Panda is also known by the name of Red Fox. From the two kinds of Red Pandas in the world, only one variety is found in India.

India has 20 protected areas with Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and West Bengal’s Khangchendzonga and Namdapha National Park. The endangered Red Panda live in temperate climates, in deciduous and coniferous forests, usually with an under story of bamboo and hollow trees.