Animals are loved by nearly everyone in the world, yet humans are the biggest threat to their survival.
Every single one of the animals on this list is not only rare, but also critically endangered or “just” endangered.
The low population of these rare animals is primarily due to habitat loss, hunting, or accidental death caused by human activities.
While conservationists have successfully bred some of these animals, others are not so lucky and are on the brink of complete extinction.
Hopefully, with more awareness, including the information on this list, we can see some of these rare animals recover in the future.
As of September 2019, the information about the population estimates of these animals is as accurate as possible and will be updated as needed in the future.
Estimated Number of Mature Individuals: 300 to 400 in the wild; many bred in captivity and released to the wild each year
Location: Arizona, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Montana, USA; previously native to the Great Plains of North America
Scientific Name: Mustela nigripes
photo source: Wikimedia Commons via USFWS Mountain-Prairie
The Black-footed Ferret is often touted as a conservation success story as the species has come back from extinction status twice through the efforts of conservationists.
Originally, the Black-footed Ferret was native to the Great Plains of North America and ranged from southern Canada to northern Mexico.
However, the population of the Black-footed Ferret sharply declined throughout the 20th century and was declared extinct in 1979.
A few years later, in 1981, the Black-footed Ferret was re-discovered by a dog in Wyoming.
That remaining population only survived until 1987 and the Black-footed Ferret was extinct in the wild again.
Since then, a captive breeding program was launched by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and thousands of Black-footed Ferrets were re-released in Arizona, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Montana throughout the last few decades.
While, the program has mostly been a success, recent updates only put the wild Black-footed Ferret population between 300 to 400 individuals.
Black-footed Ferrets primarily hunt prairie dogs and because of their dependence on the other species, the population of Black-footed Ferrets is heavily impacted by the wild population of prairie dogs, which has also been in decline in recent years.
Scientific Name: Addax nasomaculatus
photo source: Wikimedia Commons via Haytem93
The Addax or white antelope is on the verge of extinction in its wild habitat of the Sahara Desert, with the size of the wild population ranging from 30 to 90 mature individuals.
However, there are a number of successful breeding programs around the world, and while you most likely won’t catch a glimpse of an Addax in the wild, you might just see one of the thousands in captivity at your local zoo.
In the past, the Addax was common in North Africa, native to Chad, Mauritania, Niger, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, and the Western Sahara.
Wild Addax populations have been in severe decline due to unregulated hunting.
In recent years, with the success of breeding programs, Addax have been reintroduced to Morocco and Tunisia on wildlife preserves.
Location: Southern Morocco and Syria; previously also found throughout Europe, North Africa, and other parts of the Middle East
Current Conservation Status: Endangered
Scientific Name: Geronticus eremita
photo source: Wikimedia Commons via Charles J Sharp
The Northern Bald Ibis is one of the rarest birds in the world, with less than 250 mature individuals remaining in the wild.
For several decades, the Northern Bald Ibis was considered critically endangered, but successful conservation efforts over recent years has helped downgrade the species status to endangered – there are over 1,000 Northern Bald Ibises in captivity.
Today, most of the wild population of Northern Bald Ibises live in Morocco with a few possibly left alive in Syria.
The Northern Bald Ibis has been regionally extinct in Europe for over 500 years, but reintroduction programs are currently underway.
The Northern Bald Ibis is an ancient bird species with fossils dating to the Holocene (c.10,000 years ago), middle Pleistocene (c.
900,000 years ago), and even as far back as Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary (c.
1.8 million years ago).
Cross River Gorilla
Estimated Number of Mature Individuals: less than 250 in the wild; one known in captivity
Location: Forested hills and mountains of the Cameroon-Nigeria border region at the headwaters of the Cross River (Nigeria)
Scientific Name: Gorilla gorilla diehli
photo source: Wikimedia Commons via Julielangford
While all Gorilla and species are vulnerable, the Cross River Gorilla is unfortunately the most endangered great ape in the world.
Unfortunately, the Cross River Gorilla, which was first noted in 1907, was largely ignored until it was too late (in 1987) and its population numbers were already low.
Today, it is estimated that there are less than 250 Cross River Gorillas in the wild and only one known to be in captivity.
The biggest threat to the survival of the Cross River Gorilla is habitat loss due to human activities.
Also, the Cross River Gorilla is threatened by bushmeat hunting by locals.
Due to the hunting, Cross River Gorillas are very fearful of humans and are very rarely observed.
Cross River Gorillas live in small scattered groups that rarely, if ever, interact with one another, which has led to inbreeding.
This results in a loss of genetic diversity and weaker gene pool and also negatively impacts the already small population of Cross River Gorillas.
Estimated Number of Mature Individuals: Unknown for sure – population estimates range from 25 to 700, but believed to be actually fewer than 250; none in captivity
Scientific Name: Pseudoryx nghetinhensis
photo source: IUCN Red List via William Robichaud
Of all the animals on this list, none are as mysterious as the Saola, which has been aptly dubbed the “Asian Unicorn.” So little is known about the Saola that there is no real data on the elusive animal’s current population.
Because the Saola has only been seen in the wild a handful of times since its remains were first discovered in 1992, population estimates wildly vary from as little as 25 individuals to as many as 750.
However, researchers believe that the Saola population is much lower, and most likely less than 250.
This has led conservationists to believe that Saolas cannot survive captivity and thus a breeding program can’t be established.
Most of the information known about the Saola comes from William G.
Robichaud, who managed to keep a female Saola in captivity for about 15 days before she died of unknown causes.
According to Robichaud’s observations, the Saola was not afraid of humans, only dogs.
Location: Primorye region of southeastern Russia and northern China
Scientific Name: Panthera pardus orientalis
photo source: Wikimedia Commons via William Warby
While many big cat species are facing declining numbers around the world, one of the rarest and most endangered is the Amur Leopard.
It is estimated that there are less than 100 individuals (about 84 to be more exact) left in the wild.
Amur Leopards mostly reside in the Amur River basin of eastern Russia with a few scattered in the northern part of China.
Amur Leopards have relatively long lifespans, living for about 10 to 15 years in the wild and 20+ years in captivity.
Unfortunately, like all the animals on this list, the Amur Leopard population faces many threats, including habitat destruction, illegal poaching, conflicts with humans, and a lack of genetic variation – since there are so few Amur Leopards left, there is a lot of inbreeding, which results in weaker offspring.
The rosettes or spots on Amur Leopards are larger, more widely spaced, and have thicker black borders than those found on the other species of leopards.
Location: fragmented habitats on the islands of Dalupiri, Luzon and Mindanao in the Philippines
Scientific Name: Crocodylus mindorensis
photo source: Wikimedia Commons via Vassil
The Philippine Crocodile is considered to be the most threatened crocodile species in the world, with fewer than 100 left in the wild and very few in captivity.
In the past, the Philippine Crocodile was found all across the island nation, but currently only found in small, fragmented habitats on the islands of Dalupiri, Luzon, and Mindanao.
The Philippine Crocodile population has been severely impacted by hunting and habitat destruction.
The crocodiles have been labeled as man killers/eaters by the local populace and have been killed for this negative view.
However, in recent years, conservationists have been working to change public perception and have successfully bred and released Philippine Crocodiles into protected habitat sites.
Killing a Philippine Crocodile is illegal and comes with a maximum fine of of ₱100,000 (equivalent to about $2,500).
Estimated Number of Mature Individuals: less than 100 in the wild; very few in captivity
Estimated Number of Mature Individuals: less than 100 in the wild; very few in captivity
Estimated Number of Mature Individuals: less than 100 in the wild; very few in captivity
Estimated Number of Mature Individuals: less than 100 in the wild; very few in captivity
Location: Sumatra and Borneo (used to be found in India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, other parts of Indonesia, and China
Scientific Name: Dicerorhinus sumatrensis
photo source: Wikimedia Commons via Alan (wAlanb)
The Sumatran Rhino or the Asian Two-horned Rhino is recognizable by its hairy appearance is the rarest of the five remaining species of rhinoceros.
Scientists estimate that there are fewer than 100 Sumatran Rhinos in the wild, with some saying there could be as little as 30 wild Sumatran Rhinos left.
It is believed that Sumatran Rhinos have been a fairly vulnerable species for the past 9,000 years when a climate shift took place in their natural habitat.
Since then, Sumatran Rhinos have failed to bounce back and face even more threats today.
While there has been some success with breeding Sumatran Rhinos in captivity, in general, they have a hard time surviving outside of their natural ecosystem.
Currently, there are still a few captive Sumatran Rhinos.
Scientists believe that the Sumatran Rhino is the most primitive (oldest) rhino species because of its hair and other ancient features.
Also, the Sumatran Rhino is the closest living relative to the woolly rhinoceros that lived in the frigid lands of Europe and Asia during the Ice Age.
South China Tiger
Estimated Number of Mature Individuals: believed to be extinct in the wild; less than 100 in captivity
Location: Southern China
Scientific Name: Panthera tigris tigri
photo source: Wikimedia Commons
The South China Tiger (also known as the Amoy tiger, South Chinese, Chinese and Xiamen tiger) is unfortunately the most threatened and vulnerable tiger species in the world.
Scientists have declared that the South China Tiger is functionally extinct in the wild and has not been seen outside of captivity in more than 25 years.
While there are no wild South China Tigers left, thankfully there are about a hundred or so in captivity as part of breeding programs in China.
In 2007, the first South China Tiger was born outside of China at the private reserve known as Laohu Valley Reserve in South Africa.
There is genetic evidence that suggests that a majority of the captive South China Tigers are not “pure” and that they had been cross-bred with other subspecies of tigers.
Estimated Number of Mature Individuals: about 10 in the wild (possibly between 6 and 22); none in captivity
Estimated Number of Mature Individuals: about 10 in the wild (possibly between 6 and 22); none in captivity
Location: Northern part of the Gulf of California
Current Conservation Status: Critically Endangered
Current Conservation Status: Critically Endangered
Current Conservation Status: Critically Endangered
Current Conservation Status: Critically Endangered
Current Conservation Status: Critically Endangered
Current Conservation Status: Critically Endangered
Current Conservation Status: Critically Endangered
Current Conservation Status: Critically Endangered
Scientific Name: Phocoena sinus
photo source: Wikimedia Commons via Paula Olsen
The Vaquita is currently the rarest animal in the world, and quite possibly the most endangered, with only about 10 individuals left in the wild.
That estimate comes from a report published by the IUCN in early 2019 that stated that only about 10 vaquitas remained alive in 2018, as per an acoustic monitoring program conducted in the Gulf, though there is a 95% chance they number between 6 and 22.
Since the Vaquita was first discovered in 1958, its numbers have always been pretty low.
Vaquitas are the smallest species of porpoise and easily get caught in gillnets (nets that catch fish by their gills) used by illegal fishing operations.
Also Vaquitas have such a small population because they are only found in one area of the world, the northern part of the Gulf of California.
Additionally, there are no Vaquita in captivity and there is currently no successful breeding program to help bring their numbers back up.
While not much is known about the Vaquita, the maximum known lifespan of an individual Vaquita was a female who lived 21 years.
Though insects generally top the charts of animals we hate the most, there are plenty of mammals which we can’t stand either.
Some animals we hate because they invade our spaces and damage our property (much like some other humans).
Some we hate because of their deadly rampages and/or attacks.
And some we hate because of their transmission of disease which wipes out millions of humans each year.
You can’t help but feel sorry for some of these hated mammals.
The amount we dislike animals differs strongly by culture and geographic location.
However, plenty of Indians living alongside the largest land mammal hate them because they destroy farmland and have even been known to drunkenly kill villagers.
(See the list item about elephants for more on their drunken killing spree which caused a village uproar and witchhunt.)
Though some animals such as #14 may be more expected on this list, you may be surprised to find that some of the best-known animals in the world are also the biggest nuisances.
Including everything from the king of the savanna to one of our closest companions, these are the 25 Most Hated Mammals on Earth.
Source: Conservation Institute, Image: Freestockphotos.biz The hyena is the first to start off our list of the top 25 most hated mammals known to man.
Though primarily a scavenger, the hyena can also hunt for prey if there’s not enough carrion (dead animals) around.
During periods (such as war) when there are high human casualties, hyenas have been known to develop a liking for human flesh and even hunt live humans if not enough corpses are around.
Source: Smithsonian, Image: Wikimedia Though it may look cute, the red fox is more of a menace.
Kept in check (and keeping small mammals in check) in its native habitats of Eurasia, North Africa, and Central America, the red fox has become an invasive species in Australia where it was introduced in the mid 1800’s for hunting.
The fox often kills newborn lambs and carries rabies.
With a range of 190 miles (305 km), the red fox’s effects can be devastating on an ecosystem.
Source: Smithsonian, Image: Wikipedia The brushtail possum is a native mammal to Australia and was introduced to New Zealand in the 19th century.
Since then, the animal has ravenously devoured eucalyptus leaves and threatened many local bird species.
For the benefit of Kiwi beef, it’s probably best we keep hating this animal.
Source: National Geographic & Rosevear, Donovan Reginald (1974).
The Carnivores of West Africa, Image: Wikipedia Popularized by a comedic YouTube video of a man narrating a day in the life of the “crazy nastya** honey badger”, the honey badger holds the Guinness Book of World Records prize as “the most fearless animal on the planet”.
Known to send even lions scurrying off their prey, the honey badger is incredibly difficult to kill due to its loose and tough skin.
Neither dogs nor machetes have proven effective against this beast which easily can rip up hen houses.
Even worse, the honey badger is known for surplus killing whereby it kills way more prey than it can eat.
Source: Smithsonian & The Times-Picayune, Image: Wikipedia Sounding more like the latest health food bar, the nutria (or coypu) is a semi-aquatic rodent which mildly resembles the beaver.
Once cultivated for their fur, large feral populations now roam territories outside its native South America.
Though only a herbivore, the nutria devours river plant stems and has now become the most common herbivore in Louisiana’s marshes.
Everyone down in the bayou hates the creatures which contribute to Louisiana’s loss of a football field-sized patch of wetland every hour, partially by destroying local dykes and irrigation systems.
Source: Encyclopaedia Brittanica & National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Image: Wikimedia Deer are some of the most hated animals in the world, especially on roads which wind through forests and wooded areas.
Known for crossing the road just as a car passes by, deer cause about 1.5 million collisions annually, resulting in $1.1 billion dollars of damage and the death of about 150 people in the United States alone.
African Wild Dog
Source: National Geographic & Littman, Enno (1910).
“Publications of the Princeton Expedition to Abyssinia”, Image: Wikipedia Also known as the African hunting dog, the African wild dog is one of the best hunters on the savanna.
Whereas lions only come back with a kill on about 10% of hunts, this dog has a success rate of about 80%, making it one of the most efficient and deadly African predators.
(Ironically, one the biggest and most successful predators of the African wild dog is the lion.) Some groups in Africa have turned fear into respect for the beast, with locals in Ethiopia formerly believing that killing the wild dog with a spear would lead to it dipping its tail in the blood and whipping it at its attacker, causing instant death.
Source: International Journal of Primatology & African Journal of Ecology, Image: dewimiutia via Flickr Though they are our closest relatives, monkeys are seriously hated in some parts of the world, especially Asia.
Though revered in India as the monkey god Hanuman, monkeys have been known to infect humans with rabies and destroy crops.
In temples and tourist spots throughout Southeast Asia, monkeys have been known to attack humans.
Source: National Geographic & Cosmos, Image: Wikimedia Not many mammals in our world are venomous, but the platypus is one of them.
With a spur on its rear foot, the platypus can injects its prey (or a human) with venom so powerful it can kill a dog.
The venom is not lethal to humans but has been reported to cause excruciating pain, sometimes causing the victim to fall unconscious.
Source: Australian NCIS, Image: Wikipedia The Australian highway version of a deer, kangaroos are also perplexed by headlights and are often hit by traveling cars in more remote areas.
Hitting a kangaroo can easily destroy a small car.
Source: Animal Planet, Image: Wikipedia Yes, a bat is a mammal rather than a bird and most of us are pretty freaked out by these nocturnal creatures.
Though often dramatized at Halloween-time as blood suckers, bats rarely bite humans and actually prefer insects to blood.
If there’s any mammal on this list we should love rather than hate, it’s the bat.
Source: Smithsonian, Image: Wikimedia The cute-looking short-tailed weasel is anything but cute!
These greedy little mammals have hunting instincts bigger than their stomachs and often kill way more than they can eat.
In New Zealand, these hated animals have been responsible for the extinction of quite a few bird species.
Source: Smithsonian, Image: Wikipedia One of humanity’s most common house pets, cats are generally though of as harmless and docile – though a bit lazy – creatures.
But when cats go feral, meaning when house cats become wild cats, they can be quite the pest.
One study found that 62-82% of feral cats carried toxoplasmosis: a parasite which causes neurological damage to marine mammals.
Beyond their danger to health, feral cats have also hunted the Okinawa woodpecker and Cayman Island ground iguana into endangered statuses.
Source: Encyclopaedia Brittanica & The Telegraph, Image: Wikipedia Though we know them as “man’s best friend”, maybe we should rethink our relationship with dogs.
In a period of just over 30 years up to 2013, over 450 people were killed by dogs in Canada & the U.S. and over 2,400 people were maimed.
Furthermore, in India alone, about 20,000 people die each year due to rabies infections from dog bites, the source of 90% of human rabies infections globally.
Source: ABC News & BBC News, Image: Wikimedia Named from the ancient Greek words for “river horse”, the hippopotamus is one of the deadliest animals in Africa.
Its unpredictable nature and aggression has led it to charge quite a few boats and humans.
For example, in 2014, a hippo charged a boat near Niger’s capital which led to the death of 13 people.
About 20 years later, the population was almost five times as large and some of the hippos even escaped and killed nearby cattle and attacked humans, making it quite a hated animal in the area.
Source: Smithsonian, Image: Wikipedia The goat: though it might seem like a simple animal which goes great with Indian curry, this is one tough animal.
Domesticated in western Iran over 10,000 years ago, goats can survive some of the least hospitable climates on Earth.
Add in a rabid appetite and ability to consume almost any tough plant matter and herds can ravage small islands and lead to ecosystem collapse.
(Goat herds have been known to grow so large they cover an area up to 12 miles across.)
Source: Smithsonian, Image: Wikimedia Originating from central and southern Asia, the mongoose is a wily predator.
Introduced to islands such as Mauritius and Fiji to wipe out surging rat populations on sugar cane plantations, the mongoose took a liking to other local foods it found and now both the rat and mongoose are invasive and destroying the ecosystem.
Source: Encyclopaedia Brittanica & Patterson, Bruce D.
The Lions of Tsavo: Exploring the Legacy of Africa’s Notorious Man-Eaters., Image: Pixabay Though many people think of lions as only hunting prey such as zebras and wildebeests, lions have caused quite a few human deaths as well and actually enjoy human meat.
One of the most shocking recent deaths was when a tourist at a South African game reserve was mauled by a lion through an open car window.
From 1990-2005, lions are known to have killed 871 people in Tanzania alone; these days, they still regularly kill 100 people per year there.
Source: Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University & University of Halle-Wittenberg, Image: IntoConnection via YouTube Often known for their mischievous behavior knocking over trash bins and eating food waste, raccoons can pose another major annoyance to humans.
In many communities, raccoons set up dens in warm attics, causing thousands of dollars of damage.
Raccoons are also disliked by farmers, both for feeding on chickens or ducks and their eggs and for damaging corn plants.
It’s estimated around 87% of damage to corn is raccoon-related.
Source: Animal Planet, Image: Wikimedia The coyote is one of, if not the greatest, menace to ranchers’ livestock.
Related to the grey wolf, coyotes used to hunt livestock only at night but have since become braver as human communities have expanded.
(If you ever come across a coyote, making as much noise as possible will help chase it off.) One person who will forever hate coyotes is Jessica Simpson who had her beloved maltipoo dog snatched by one in 2009.
Source: Government of Alberta, Image: Wikipedia Known in cartoons as Pepé Le Pew, the striped skunk is most known for its noxious odors.
Source: Smithsonian, Image: Pixabay Rattus rattus (yes, that is its scientific name) is one of the most hated mammals in the world.
Today, rats continue to carry a host of disease and have even been responsible for the extinction of a host of native species of reptiles, invertebrates, and birds such as the Tahitian sandpiper.
Source: Conservation Institute, Image: Wikimedia Widespread across African grasslands, the cape buffalo is responsible for more fatalities in Africa than any other large animal.
Scarily, this massive beast won’t stop charging even if it’s shot through the heart and it has been known to attack and kill lions.
Source: BBC News & Sydney Morning Herald, Image: Wikipedia Though one of the most well-revered animals on the planet, elephants are also among the most hated.
Despite Western peoples’ generally positive views of the largest land mammal in the world, Eastern peoples often find the animals to be a nuisance.
Highly intelligent, elephants have been blamed for revenge killings in Africa and have even drunkenly killed six villagers in India’s northeast after becoming intoxicated on local rice beer.
In retaliation, the villagers killed up to 200 elephants.
Human
Source: Dictionary.com, Image: Wikipedia We’d be remiss if humans, the mammal at the top of the food chain, didn’t make this list.
Humans have hated other humans since the dawn of time, largely due to competition over food, territory, and mates.
With all the tension going on around the world, it seems human-human hate may be at an all-time high.
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