Giraffes ‘threatened with extinction’

Agence France-Presse

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Giraffes ‘threatened with extinction’

AFP

The population of the world's tallest land mammal drops to below 100,000 in 2015, mainly due to habitat loss and illegal hunting, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reported

PARIS, France – Wild giraffe numbers have plummeted by 40% in the last 3 decades, and the species is now “vulnerable” to extinction, a top conservation body said Thursday, December 8.

The population of the world’s tallest land mammal dropped to below 100,000 in 2015, mainly due to habitat loss and illegal hunting, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reported.

“These majestic land animals are undergoing a silent extinction,” Julian Fennessy, co-chairman of the IUCN’s specialist group on giraffes, said in a statement.

Previously, giraffes had been classified as a species of “least concern” on the IUCN’s Red List, which tracks the conservation status of fauna and flora.

The long-necked leaf eaters are spread out across southern and eastern Africa, with smaller pockets in west and central Africa.

Of 9 distinct subspecies, 3 have shown an increase in population. 

But 5 experienced a sharp decline, with one remaining stable.

Numbers have crashed in 30 years from an estimated 157,000 to about 97,500 last year, the IUCN said.

The main culprit is the growing human population, which has caused a spike in poaching and encroachment upon the giraffe’s natural habitat.

“As one of the world’s most iconic animals, it is time that we stick our neck out for the giraffe before it is too late,” said Fennessy.

The report was part of an larger update of the Red List, unveiled at a meeting in Cancun, Mexico of the 196-nation Convention on Biological Diversity. – Rappler.com

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!