The giraffe population has been decreasing over the last decade. Today, its extinction is a real possibility.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) added two (Kordofan and Nubian giraffe) subspecies of giraffes in the list of “critically endangered species” in their latest report.
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Some are “endangered” (Reticulated giraffe), while others range from “vulnerable” (Thornicroft’s and West African giraffe) to “near threatened” (Rothschild’s giraffe).
The news has not been widely reported despite the fact that giraffes could become extinct in near future. They have not been considered to be at threat of disappearing but their number is decreasing slowly over the years.
But classifying them to the endangered group came as a surprise even to conservationists. Their visibility and presence in zoos worldwide gave a false impression of the species being safe and the animals that were focused upon were rhinos, elephants and illegal trade of pangolins in the last decade.
“Whilst giraffes are commonly seen on safari, in the media, and in zoos, people – including conservationists – are unaware that these majestic animals are undergoing a silent extinction. While giraffe populations in southern Africa are doing just fine, the world’s tallest animal is under severe pressure in some of its core ranges across East, Central and West Africa," said Dr. Julian Fennessy, co-chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) and Giraffe & Okapi Specialist Group (GOSG), and Director of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF).
"It may come as a shock that three of the currently recognized nine subspecies are now considered ‘Critically Endangered’ or ‘Endangered’, but we have been sounding the alarm for a few years now.”
The number of giraffes dropped from 157,000 in 1985 to 97,500 in last 31 years which is a 40 percent decline.
Some of the giraffe species have as low as 400 population making them more endangered than gorillas.
They have disappeared from seven countries already Eritrea, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Malawi, Mauritania, and Senegal.
The cause of this extinction is because of humankind. Increasing urbanization, deforestation, poaching, illegal hunting practice, and civil unrest in Africa proved to be perilous for giraffes.
The giraffes are also killed for their tails for status symbols. These can also be used as dowries in some cultures according to a National Geographic report.