Conservationists: World Cup mascot Fuleco risks extinction

This armadillo species is thought to have dwindled by more than a third in the past 10 to 15 years. The shrub land in which it lives has been greatly reduced in north-eastern Brazil, the Swiss-based international organisation said.
The Brazilian species, which goes by World Cup mascot name of Fuleco, was classified as "vulnerable" by the IUCN.
It is therefore"considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild," according to the organisation's classification.However, other animal and plant species are far more threatened than the armadillo.
IUCN said it has listed the Japanese eel as "endangered," because this traditional delicacy has been over fished and faces a loss of its habitat. Also, 22 of the surviving 101 species of lemurs are now listed as"critically endangered.
"IUCN also warned that 79 per cent of temperate slipper orchids are threatened with extinction in North America, Europe and parts of Asia, even though it is a popular plant in the horticultural industry."
Although the industry is sustained by cultivated stock, conservation of wild species is vital for its future," IUCN orchid specialist Hassan Rankou said.Endangered species have been inventoried on the Red List for 50 years since 1964.