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Sixty percent of large herbivores are at risk of extinction

By Thor Benson
A female Grevy's zebra foal born at the Saint Louis Zoo on June 22, enjoys the sunshine with her mother as she makes her public debut at the Zoo's Red Rocks area in St. Louis on July 16, 2014. Makena which means "happy one" in the East African language of Kikuyu, weighed 120 pounds at birth. The endangered Grevy's zebra numbers have dropped sharply, from 15,000 to fewer than 2,200 worldwide in the last 30 years. UPI/Bill Greenblatt
A female Grevy's zebra foal born at the Saint Louis Zoo on June 22, enjoys the sunshine with her mother as she makes her public debut at the Zoo's Red Rocks area in St. Louis on July 16, 2014. Makena which means "happy one" in the East African language of Kikuyu, weighed 120 pounds at birth. The endangered Grevy's zebra numbers have dropped sharply, from 15,000 to fewer than 2,200 worldwide in the last 30 years. UPI/Bill Greenblatt | License Photo

STANFORD, Calif., May 3 (UPI) -- According to a new study, 60 percent of large herbivores are at risk of extinction.

Scientists looked at 74 large herbivores, including elephants, rhinos and zebras, and found many are close to dying off.

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The scientists said the herbivores dying off could lead to large empty terrains.

"The ripple effects are profound and significant not only for ecosystems, but for humans too," said Rodolfo Dirzo, a Bing Professor in Environmental Science and a senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute.

The decline is largely due to endangered habitats, hunting and lack of food.

Loss of large herbivores could lead to an increase in wildfires, since there will be more wild plant life. There will also be less food available for carnivores.

The study is published in the journal Science Advances.

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