World has lost half of its animals in last 40 years

The red squirrel one of the many animals now under threat.

Sarah Knapton

Half of the world's wild animals have been lost in the past 40 years because of habitat destruction, hunting and deforestation, according to a report by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

The Living Planet report found that populations of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish have fallen on average by 52pc per cent since 1970.