Over 4,300 Southeast Asian species face extinction threat

Over 4,300 species in Southeast Asia are facing extinction, with many critically endangered or endangered. Iconic species like the Javan and Sumatran rhinos, and the Cat Ba langur, are down to their last few dozen individuals. The saola, found in Laos' Annamite mountains, may already be extinct. This severe threat to the region's biodiversity is driven by urban and agricultural expansion, deforestation, warming oceans, and the illegal wildlife trade for food, medicine, and pets. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reported these findings to This Week in Asia.