A rough year for threatened wildlife

The Salonga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo is the last refuge for the bonobo. But ever more poachers are entering the wilderness, threatening this great ape. The government's permission for oil drilling in parts of the park might intensify pressure on the bonobo.

Though it's the biggest terrestrial animal, elephants can't much against poachers. A wild population of 430,000 wild elephants might sound a lot - but whole herds are threatened with extinction. On their way across landscapes, they're increasingly colliding with humans.

It's the quintessential symbol of untouched wilderness: a pride of lions hunting for prey. There are only an estimated 23,000 wild lions left. In India and West Africa, only scraps of vast original habitats remain. The biggest threat to this ferocious feline is habitat loss.

The northern white rhinoceros is in a desperate situation: The last male rhino capable of reproduction died in 2014. Only six representatives of this subspecies remain. Unfortunately, that might not be enough for it to survive.

Every year, countless millions of monarch butterflies undertake an epic journey between North America to Mexico. But people may not get to see this natural phenomenon in the future, as the population of this butterfly has shrunk by 44 percent over the past year. It's the most severe decline ever measured for the species.

With their long tusks, walruses make quite an impression. Apart from polar bears, they might be the most famous victim of climate change. Although they normally stay on ice floes, 35,000 walruses were forced to the mainland in autumn of 2014 because the ice had melted.

Of all primates, 94 percent are on the IUCN red list of threatened species. This includes some lemurs - like the Indri and the Berthe's mouse lemur - which are endemic to Madagascar. The cause is nothing new: loss of natural habitat and poaching are writing the lemurs' death sentence.

Despite the catastrophic situation for primates all over the globe, there is some good news for the mountain gorilla: due to public pressure, oil companies won't be drilling in Virunga National Park, home to about 200 mountain gorillas. The animals still remain at high risk, but such developments provide a spark of hope.

Despite many species being endangered, there are bright spots: Chile, for example, designated a new protected area for the blue whale, the world's biggest living animal. It's about time! The Earth's 25,000 blue whales will require a lot more help for further recovery.

Not only animals in the great wilderness of Africa are threatened with extinction - the bearded vulture was once distributed throughout the Alps. But nowadays, only 150 are left. Organizations like the World Wide Fund for Nature are helping restore scavengers, which play a crucial role in the ecosystem. This year, two more vultures joined their wild brethren - every little bit helps.

Germany is rewilding! Over the past years, species like wolves and bears are reappearing in Europe. In the summer of 2014, a moose suddenly entered an office in the German city of Dresden. What a nice way to say: I'm back, protect me!