60 Percent Of Large Herbivores On The Verge of Extinction, New Survey Finds

60 percent of large herbivores are on the verge of extinction, according to a new study. Researchers considered 74 big herbivores including tapirs, zebras, European bison, Eastern gorillas and rhinos for the study and concluded that there's been a considerable decline in their population.

Researchers from the Oregon State University conducted the study in different regions of Asia and Africa and found that approximately 60 percent of herbivores are at high risk of extinction.

"I expected that habitat change would be the main factor causing the endangerment of large herbivores," said Oregon State University Distinguished Professor William Ripple in the press release. "But surprisingly, the results show that the two main factors in herbivore declines are hunting by humans and habitat change. They are twin threats."

"We hope this report increases appreciation for the importance of large herbivores in these ecosystems," Ripple added in the release. "And we hope that policymakers take action to conserve these species."

Researchers warned that these species could create 'empty landscapes.' As of now, majority of the carnivore population has become endangered and the new findings put additional pressure on ecologists.

Researchers also added that the decline in population can lead to problems such as disturbance in food chain.

The study was published in the journal Science Advances.