A United Nations report says 1 million plant and animal
species are at risk of extinction, many within decades, because of human
activity.Scientists said species are going extinct up to several hundred times
faster than the average rate during the past 10 million years. There are
currently 8 million animal and plant species on Earth.
On average, over 1,000 rhinos are slaughtered a year, 55 African elephants are
killed a day and every five minutes a pangolin is snatched from the wild.
Wildlife crime is dead serious. Wildlife crime is happening all over the world
estimated to be worth over £15 billion a year, with seizure data showing almost
7,000 species are affected. Giraffes are also critically endangered.Many people,
including conservationists, remain unaware that the world’s tallest animal is
experiencing a silent slide towards extinction.
Two giraffe subspecies have been listed as Critically Endangered by the
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened
Species for the first time.
Giraffe populationfallen by a shocking 40% in the last three decades, and less
than 100,000 remain today. Habitat loss through expanding agriculture,
human-wildlife conflict, civil unrest, and poaching for their meat, pelts, and
tails, are among the reasons for the deterioration.
Three of the presentlyfamiliar nine subspecies were listed as
criticallyendangered or endangered on the latest IUCN Red List. Those subspecies
in East, Central, and West Africa are copingpredominantly poorly: the Kordofan
and Nubian giraffes, with respectively 2,000 and 2,645 individuals remaining,
are now just one stage from Extinct in the Wild.
The Reticulated, Thornicroft’s and West African giraffes are also listed as
Endangered or Vulnerable. Although these new listings sound the alarm, there is
reason for hope. In the past few decades, the Giraffe Conservation
Foundationtowed the West African giraffe back from the edge of extinction.
Giraffes are in serious trouble. The population overall has declined 40 percent
in 30 years, and there are now approximately 68,000 left in the wild. The
residual herds are fragmented and face a multitude of extortions, from habitat
loss to stealing.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the gold standard for
assessing endangerment, has found that giraffes are “vulnerable,” meaning they
face a “high risk” of extinction in the wild. And for some of the nine
subspecies, this risk is imminent. For example, the Kordofan giraffe has lost 90
percent of its population since the late 1980s and is down to just 2,000
individuals in the wild. Similarly, the Nubian giraffe population is down 98
percent and lives only on protected lands in Kenya. According to the IUCN, both
subspecies are “critically endangered,” which means they face an “extremely high
risk” of extinction in the wild.
US trade plays a significant threat to the species. Between 2006 and 2015,
39,516 giraffe specimens, including dead and live animals, as well as their
parts or derivatives, were imported into the United States, according to the
2017 petition.
That includes 21,402 bone carvings, 3,008 skin pieces and 3,744 hunting
trophies. The conservation groups arrived at that number using the US Fish and
Wildlife Service’s data on wildlife products and a review of online sales of
giraffe products.
Now it’s time of action for survival of this humble creation by adopting few
sustainable steps like; Support sustainable cultivation and farming practices
near giraffe habitats. Reforest key areas with acacia trees that provide
giraffes' main food source. Stop the poaching of giraffes for their tails,
considered status symbols. Solve hunger in areas like Sudan where impoverished
villagers eat giraffe meat.