MOSCOW, May 23. /TASS/. Six animal, bird and fish species, including the Saiga antelope, the gyrfalcon and the Persian leopard, are facing the risk of extinction in Russia, the press service of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Russia told TASS on Thursday.

"The list of animals, who, according to our experts, are facing the risk of extinction, includes the Saiga antelope, the Persian leopard, the spoon-billed sandpiper, the gyrfalcon, the Sakhalin sturgeon and the kaluga [a sturgeon species -TASS]," the press service said.

At the same time, the population of some animal species that were on the verge of extinction in the 20th century, has increased thanks to efforts made by specialists and a number of organizations, the WWF added. These species predominantly include the Amur tiger, whose population, according to the WWF, has soared from 50 to 580 since the 1940s. In addition, the population of Amur leopards has grown to 110 compared to 30-40 recorded in the 1990s.