India is home to some of the richest wildlife that is present on earth. The nation is home to tigers, elephants, rhinos, snow leopards and thousands of other species.
However, many of these animals are losing their homes quickly due to different reasons. The term "threatened species" means an animal or plant that is at risk of disappearing from the wild.
The topic is gaining traction again as the Supreme Court of India has directed the Union government to issue guidelines and coordinate with states in order to establish elephant clinics with special facilities.
These facilities are made to ensure that the owners of captive elephants take them for periodic health check-ups.
It is also important to use correct terms. Not every protected animal is "endangered." Some are "vulnerable" and some are "critically endangered" and these are different levels of risk.
What Does "Threatened Species" Mean?
The International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, studies animals across the world and places them into different categories based on how much danger they face. Here are the categories as per IUCN:
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IUCN Category
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Meaning
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Critically Endangered (CR)
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Extremely high risk of extinction
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Endangered (EN)
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Very high risk of extinction
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Vulnerable (VU)
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High risk of extinction
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Near Threatened (NT)
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May become threatened soon
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Least Concern (LC)
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Currently safe and widespread
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Top 10 Threatened Species in India
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Rank
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Species
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IUCN Status
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1
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Bengal Tiger
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Endangered
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2
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Asian Elephant
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Endangered
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3
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Great Indian Bustard
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Critically Endangered
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4
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Indian Pangolin
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Endangered
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5
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Asiatic Lion
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Endangered
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6
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Snow Leopard
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Vulnerable
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7
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Greater One-Horned Rhino
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Vulnerable
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8
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Ganges River Dolphin
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Endangered
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9
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Red Panda
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Endangered
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10
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Nilgiri Tahr
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Endangered
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Endangered vs Critically Endangered vs Vulnerable
These three terms can get confusing. Here is a simple comparison between them to understand how the IUCN categories work:
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Category
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Risk Level
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Example from the List
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Critically Endangered
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Highest risk, closest to extinction
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Great Indian Bustard
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Endangered
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Very high risk
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Bengal Tiger, Asian Elephant
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Vulnerable
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High risk, but slightly lower than endangered
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Snow Leopard, Greater One-Horned Rhino
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Major Threats that Wildlife in India Face
Many different problems are pushing India's wildlife toward extinction. The main ones are listed below.
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Habitat loss due to farming and construction
Habitat fragmentation, which breaks forests into small pieces
Poaching and illegal wildlife trade
Climate change affecting food and water sources
Pollution of rivers, soil and air
Human-wildlife conflict near villages and farms
Infrastructure development like roads, railways and power lines
Decline in prey and food sources for predators