"These large, charismatic species are ... the ones that require the largest amount of wild habitat, and by preserving them we save the less impressive species too, " said Klenzendorf.

CNN: Beauty trumps beast in conservation efforts

Despite a fervent fan campaign to save Mr Toad's Wild Ride, the Coney Island-style, runaway car goof was run off the road in 1998 in favour of the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

BBC: Walt Disney World's most endangered attractions

Crematorium grounds in Salisbury are to be left to grow wild to save money and hours of mowing, the council has said.

BBC: Salisbury crematorium

The question of extinction most recently surfaced at the talks on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) - the treaty meant to save endangered species from the devastating effects of trade.

BBC: Why such a fuss about extinction?