The Most Endangered Animals in World

Via ChinaView.cn -

BEIJING, Jan. 3 -- Many animals are being endangered or at the edge of disappearing. The following four species are the most endangered animals in the world.

White elephant
Today white elephants are very rare. The white elephant is a native of Southeast Asia -- Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. The last white elephant in Burma was seen in 1961. Elephants represent power and peace. To Americans, a white elephant is a metaphor for a worthless object. To the people of Thailand, a white elephant is regarded as sacred.

Tibetan Antelope
The Tibetan antelope, also called the chiru, is prized for the fur around its throat. Experts guess that there are 75,000 to 100,000 Tibetan antelopes left and that as many as 20,000 a year are killed in China alone.

Rhinos
There are five species of rhinos, two African and three Asian. The African species are the white and black rhinos. Both species have two horns. Asian rhinos each have one horn. Rhinos rank among the most endangered species on Earth. Valued for their horns, they face a serious threat from poaching. Some cultures believe that powdered rhino horn will cure everything from fever to food poisoning.

David's Deer
Chinese scientists find it hard to explain how the population of David's deer, known as Milu deer among Chinese, bounced back after dying out in China. The Dafeng nature reserve in Jiangsu Province introduced 64 David's deer in 1993 and 1994, and the population has grown to 450 today, Milu once died out in China in late 19th century because of floods, hunting and wars.