New research published today in Royal Society Open Science quantifies range contractions of 25 large carnivore species.

The analysis reveals that the carnivores that have experienced the greatest range contractions include the red wolf (greater than 99%), Ethiopian wolf (99%), tiger (95%) and lion (94%).

Large carnivores are among the world’s most threatened species. They face a wide variety of anthropogenic threats including persecution by humans, particularly over livestock-related conflicts, hunting and trapping, and loss of prey base.

Although changes in species’ ranges are ongoing, with newer threats like anthropogenic climate change, it is critical to continue to monitor large carnivore ranges to ensure the future of these species. The authors of the study hope their analysis serves as a starting point for this by providing an accurate measure of the historic and current status of the world’s largest carnivores.

Read the study HERE.