These 5 animals in Africa are now extinct

We are no strangers to animals going extinct. Throughout history, numerous animal species have walked the earth that are no more. 

The dinosaurs, for one, are past creatures that we all know were once on our planet but are now gone. Thankfully, too, because have you seen the pictorial description of those humongous beasts? Terrifying. 

For many other less terrifying, now-extinct animals of our African planet, factors like human activities, climate change, and habitat destruction have led to their demise and total extinction. 

In this article, we'll mention some of Africa's extinct animals which you may or may not have heard about.

The Western black rhinoceros

This magnificent creature, once widespread across sub-Saharan Africa, was tragically driven to extinction in 2011. Poachers hunted these rhinos for their valuable horns, and their numbers dropped to zero due to human encroachment. In spite of every conservation effort, this subspecies could not survive. 

The Atlas bear

In the mountains and forests of North Africa, the strong Atlas bears once lived. Not for long though, as humans hunted them and their habitats were destroyed, leading to their extinction centuries ago. Today, we can only remember these great beasts through ancient drawings and historical accounts.

The quagga 

This was a special type of zebra with a mix of stripes and brown patches on its body. People hunted them too much and they also had to compete with farm animals for food. That led to their extinction in the late 1800s. Today, some people are trying to revive the quagga's legacy through selective breeding using similar-looking zebras.

The Pyrenean ibex

These antelope-looking creatures were originally from the Pyrenees Mountains of Europe but they found a home and settled in parts of North Africa's Atlas mountains.

Unfortunately, due to diseases and human interference, they were pushed to extinction in 2000.

The North African elephant

This subspecies of the African elephant once lived in the vast regions of Morocco and Egypt. People hunted them for their tusks to the point where these huge creatures vanished from the earth by the mid-20th century. Today, their legacy lives on in ancient cave paintings and the fossils that continue to be discovered.