International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists Hump-backed Mahseer as Critically Endangered

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has recently listed Hump-backed Mahseer as Critically Endangered in the Red List of Threatened Species. The scientific name of hump-backed mahseer is ‘Tor remadevii’, which is named after noted ichthyologist K. Remadevi of the Zoological Survey of India. The giant game fish (also called the tiger of the water) is one of the most iconic and highly-prized freshwater fish found in the Cauvery river basin (including Kerala’s Pambar, Kabini and Bhavani rivers). The fish can grow up to a length of 1.5m and weigh up to 55 kg and qualifies as megafauna. Beside this, five other species have also made it to threatened categories: two wild orchids, the Arabian scad (a marine fish) and two wild coffee species found only in a few localities in the Western Ghats. As per latest IUCN update, the great hornbill (found in India and southeast Asia) was earlier categorised as “Near Threatened”. It is now “Vulnerable” due to high hunting pressure coupled with habitat loss and deforestation, while the wreathed hornbill has moved from “Least Concern” to “Vulnerable”.