A list of endangered animals in the UK. Some you may never of heard of!

According to the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), between 1970 and 2013, 56% of UK species has declined in the UK.

Here is a list of some of the worst affected species across the UK

The Scottish Wildcat.

The Scottish Wildcat is the only remaining wildcat in the UK today. It is classified as critically endangered with population estimates ranging from between 35 to a few hundred. They used to be found living across the whole of the UK but are now only found in the Scottish Highlands. The Scottish Wildcat Association run a Wildcat Conservation Scheme for people to report sightings to help them carry out their conservation work. A loss of habitat and inter-breeding with domestic cats are thought to be driving the decline.

Hazel Dormouse

Some estimates suggest the Hazel Dormouse population has halved in the past 19 years with a continuing trend of decline of about 3.8% per year. These nocturnal creatures are found in the most southerly parts of the UK and they are protected in the UK by the Wildlife and Countryside Act. Their woodland habitat is reducing in size and becoming fragmented due to expanding human populations. It is this loss of habitat that is thought to be driving their decline.

Capercaillie

One of the UK's rarest birds, now only found in Scotland having died out in Ireland and Belgium over the last few centuries. Having gone extinct in the UK once in the 1700's and having been reintroduced in 1837 in Perthshire, these birds are now facing their second threat of extinction due to increased predation from foxes and crows alongside increased forestation and habitat loss.