GENEVA (AP) The International Union for Conservation of Nature says Congo's national symbol, the okapi, is on the brink of extinction.
The Switzerland-based group says the population of the okapi, also known as the "forest giraffe," has dwindled because of poaching and habitat loss.
IUCN's Red List of endangered species, updated twice a year, rates it as endangered two steps away from extinction in the wild.
The update published Tuesday also labels the sub-Saharan white-winged flufftail as critically endangered. Just a few hundred birds still survive in Africa.
Meanwhile, the leatherback turtle has benefited from conservation efforts and is now rated vulnerable.
