Elephants, rhinos and hippos facing extinction, experts warn

Hunting is the biggest threat to the majestic creatures

Elephants could soon be extinct (Ken Bohn/San Diego Zoo via Getty Images)

Large grass-eating animals including elephants, rhinos and hippos are facing extinction, a new study has warned.

As many as 60 per cent of large herbivores are struggling to survive, with all of the threatened species living in the developing nations in Africa and Asia, with the exception of the European bison.

Large herbivores – defined as those weighing over 100kg - face the biggest threat in the east of Indian and the south of China.

All the of the struggling species are part of the elephant, hippopotamus, hominidae (a type of primate), and tapir families, according to a study by scientists from the US, South Africa, and the UK published by Science Advances.

The research highlights how the majority of large animals are killed for meat, providing a source of food for as many as one billion people.

Compounding this is the loss of habitat, while organised criminals are aiding the dramatic decline of elephants and rhinos in parts of Africa and southern Asia. This in turn has reversed decades of successful conservation projects, the study said.

Rhinos are among the most endangered large herbivores (Image: Getty) (NIGEL TREBLIN/AFP/Getty Images)

Rhinos were in particular danger, with the study explaining: "This slaughter is driven by the high retail price of rhinoceros horn, which exceeds, per unit weight, that of gold, diamonds, or cocaine."

Shocking statistics compiled by researchers uncovered how the number of forest elephants in central Africa has fallen by 62 per cent between 2002 and 2011, with as many as 100,000 elephants of those being poached between 2010 and 2012.

Impacting the ecosystem as a whole, the death of large herbivores will affect other species including carnivores, scavengers, mesoherbivores, small mammals, as well as wider ecological processes.

In order to save the majestic creatures, deforestation and hunting must be slowed, poaching must be stopped completely, and climate change must be tackled, the study’s authors warned.