A new survey has showed that Brits are actually dumbos when it comes to wildlife

ANIMAL-loving Brits are actually dumbos when it comes to wildlife and think that extinct creatures like the woolly mammoth and the dodo still exist, according to a study.

Despite decades of programmes by David Attenborough, fewer a than half of Brits know that bees are endangered but think polar bears, which are plentiful, are in trouble.

Also suggested as being endangered were Koala bears, Grey Wolf and Bison. While 43% correctly identified Sea Turtles as endangered, a surprising, 14% (over 1 in 10) believed the already extinct Whoolly Mammoth to be at risk and another 12% thought that of the Dodo!

Research comes after 70% of people thought that Coronavirus has acted as a rest button for our planet.

Over half of us (55%) have noticed that nature has had a chance to strengthen since the outbreak, 53% have seen their streets cleaner as a result of less people and 42% have read stories of nature re-growth in the media. Despite this, only 43% say they will treat their local area better when this is all over and a disappointing half of us (45%) won’t be picking up litter even if they see it.

Founder Richard Prinsloo Curson says “We understand that times are hard at the moment for everyone, especially charities and conservation projects are no different. But everyone can do their bit to protect the environment and the animals we share this planet with. Recycling is one of the easiest and most important ways of protecting our wildlife. Plastic is a huge problem for wildlife, not just in the oceans but also in the rain forests, artic wilderness and our African planes.”

Among the animals Brits would save from extinction first are elephants (40%), dogs (26%) and rhinos (only 12%). The latter, however, is a priority in Noah’s Ark’s native South Africa, where poaching has become a huge issue during lockdown.

Poachers have been taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to kill more animals, whether it’s rhinos in Africa, giant ibises in Asia, or wild cats in South America. Lockdown measures and falling tourism gives them free rein to roam and hunt for endangered species.

Peta Janice Smith who works as a ranger for the Noah’s Ark Project commented

“I’m really concerned that as this lockdown goes on and especially in South Africa where we are based, the lack of food available will see people turning to illegal hunting. In the last week alone, we have seen nine Rhino’s killed in South Africa. In Colombia, poachers have been killing more jaguars, pumas, and ocelots. In Cambodia, three giant ibises—so 1% to 2% of the global population—drank poison reportedly set up by poachers, who have become more active in Southeast Asia. In India, people are illegally hunting for various kinds of deer.”

Noah’s Ark project has been set up to counter the threat of extinction to many of our greatest animals. The project will be made up of 13 geo-domes. Three of them – Amazonian, Polar and Desert – will be the biggest structures of their kind in the world, each with a diameter of 230 metres and height of 30 stories… almost the height of Canary Wharf.

They will be built using smart glass and sophisticated climate control systems to ensure animals from other continents can feel at home in their own ecosystems under the South African sun.