Bats, bushbabies and aardvark edge closer to extinction in southern Africa

A new red list of southern African mammals at risk shows that 42% are now threatened with extinction.

By: Joseph Ogutu, University of Hohenheim, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: January 26, 2026

Words: 1,310

Last Updated: 1 month, 3 weeks ago

Body Text Preview

By Joseph Ogutu, University of Hohenheim

A new list of threatened mammals in South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini shows that 11 more species have edged closer to extinction since 2016. Those that have joined the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s regional Red List for mammals at risk are: Lesueur’s hairy bat, the laminate vlei rat, the thick-tailed bushbaby, the aardvark and the African straw-coloured fruit bat. …

Create a free account to access this story and more

Join Plucky Wire to access full stories, collaborate with newsrooms, and discover content from networks around the world.
Register for Free Log in