5 Beloved Animals In Danger of Becoming Extinct

Among the effects of global warming, poaching and a disappearing habitat for each of these creatures, it's no wonder the endangered species list is so long. The most recently added species is the giraffe, whose population has shrunk by nearly 40% in 30 years. While we may be very familiar with these species because of their popularity in zoos and as characters in popular culture, their decline is very dangerous and very real. The Pika (assumedly the namesake of Pikachu, one of the characters at the forefront of the Pokémon Go craze) was only discovered in 1983 and its population has already been decimated by nearly 70% since then. Considering our current political climate and president-elect Trump's pick to nominate the head the Environmental Protection Agency is currently suing it, the future for these majestic animals looks bleak unless some drastic changes are made. If you need me, I'll be frantically googling how to adopt multiple Pikas.