Half of The World’s Mammals Are in Decline, Says Study

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According to an international survey of the world’s mammals, up to half of all species are experiencing declines in population. The latest “Red List” published by the Switzerland-based International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) shows that 188 species are “critically endangered,” although the real number may be higher since scientists were unable to gather sufficient information on about 836 species to determine the health of their populations. And rates of extinction appear to be increasing. Some 76 mammals are known to have become extinct since 1500, but today 1,141 of the 5,487 mammal species are considered to be “threatened.” The leading cause, according to the study, appears to be destruction of habitat, followed by pollution and the hunting of animals for food, medicine, and materials. A dire situation? You betcha, as my favorite politician would say. Just read Julia Whitty.

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We need to start raising significantly more in donations from our online community of readers, especially from those who read Mother Jones regularly but have never decided to pitch in because you figured others always will. We also need long-time and new donors, everyone, to keep showing up for us.

In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, how brutal it is to sustain quality journalism right now, what makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there, and why support from readers is the only thing that keeps us going. Despite the challenges, we're optimistic we can increase the share of online readers who decide to donate—starting with hitting an ambitious $300,000 goal in just three weeks to make sure we can finish our fiscal year break-even in the coming months.

Please learn more about how Mother Jones works and our 47-year history of doing nonprofit journalism that you don't elsewhere—and help us do it with a donation if you can. We've already cut expenses and hitting our online goal is critical right now.

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