More than a third (36%) of UK adults either struggled to spontaneously name any endangered native wildlife or believe there are no endangered animals in the UK.
The shock results came from a survey commissioned from YouGov by conservation campaign Act for Wildlife, and heightens concerns that people in the UK are oblivious to the wildlife around them.
Act for Wildlife, led by Chester Zoo, aims to raise funds for conservation projects around the globe but also, importantly, here in the UK.
Sarah Bird, whose UK Wildlife project is one of those that Act for Wildlife is raising funds for, said the animals UK adults did recognise had a high media profile, but they are often not the most threatened ones.
She said: "It’s fair to say that these results are worrying. 36 per cent of people can’t name an endangered UK animal or believe that there aren’t any. Those animals that people think are the most important are the ones that tend to make the headlines, but often that is not the case.
"In the survey a percentage of people identified red squirrels (33%) and other species such as the dormouse (5%) and adder (12%) were mentioned, which is heartening. However, animals such as bumblebees (6%), dragonflies and sand lizards need our help too and, for them survival in Britain is far from secure. And we must not forget that animals need space and places to live in the UK too; saving animals alone is not enough.
"We hope Act for Wildlife will raise awareness and, more to the point, the funds to ensure we can continue with our essential UK conservation work."
Act for Wildlife, which is run entirely on line and through social media, aims to reach a so-called army of ’armchair conservationists’. The campaign aims to enthuse these people to do their bit for wildlife without the need to leave home.
Act for Wildlife, which has television wildlife presenter and veterinary surgeon Steve Leonard as a patron, supports five major conservation projects - orangutans, Asian elephants, black rhinos, threatened birds and UK wildlife.
All donations made via Act for Wildlife will go directly into field conservation programmes.