A Chimpanzee opens its Christmas presents at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo on December 17, 2013 in Bedfordshire, England. (Photo by Tony Margiocchi/Barcroft Media)

Global wildlife populations will decline by 67% by 2020 unless urgent action is taken to reduce human impact on species and ecosystems, warns the biennial Living Planet Index report from WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) and ZSL (Zoological Society of London). From elephants to eels, here are some of the wildlife populations most affected by human activity. Here: The maned wolf is among the large mammals in the Brazilian Cerrado that are threatened by the increasing conversion of grasslands into farmland for grazing and growing crops. (Photo by Ben Cranke/Nature Picture Library/Alamy Stock Photo)

A Hindu villager rides a motorcycle past an altar ahead of the annual Kasada festival at the Mount Bromo in Indonesia's East Java province, July 30, 2015. The Kasada festival will be held on August 1, when the worshippers throw offerings such as livestock and other crops into the volcanic crater of Mount Bromo to give thanks to the Hindu gods for ensuring their safety and prosperity. (Photo by Reuters/Beawiharta)

“There Were Early Indications that Maxine was Not a Good Fit for the Surgical Team”. (Photo by Studio d'Xavier)

A DC-10 air tanker delivers flame retardant to the Blue Cut fire in Wrightwood, Calif., Wednesday, August 17, 2016. A wildfire with a ferocity never seen before by veteran California firefighters raced up and down canyon hillsides, instantly engulfing homes and forcing thousands of people to flee, some running for their lives just ahead of the flames. (Photo by Alex Gallardo/AP Photo)

Khadija Amchichar, 12, and Amina Ouazzou, 8, react as they stand in a school turned into a shelter for displaced earthquake survivors, in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake, in the village of Outaghrri, Morocco on September 13, 2023. (Photo by Hannah McKay/Reuters)

A woman uses a plastic bad to protect her head amid snowfall in Beijing, China on December 14, 2023. (Photo by Tingshu Wang/Reuters)

A new book published by the UK Natural History Museum showcases some of the most memorable underwater photographs taken over the last few decades in its annual wildlife photographer of the year competition. Here: Giant gathering by Tony Wu. “The first indication that something extraordinary was going on were the blows, huge numbers of them – the exhalations of huge numbers of whales. Entering the water, the photographer witnessed an extraordinary scene”. (Photo by Tony Wu/Unforgettable Underwater Photography/NHM)