Did You Know 40% Of All Giraffes Have Died & They’re Close To Extinction?

This is it, guys, we’re slowly killing our planet and everything in it.

Irish Post wrote that the numbers of giraffes have depleted over the years and we are to blame. The numbers of these long-necked, majestic beasts went down by 40 per cent over the last 30 years due to “human activities in their habitats”. The International Union for Conservation of Nature‘s (IUCN) has listed giraffes as “Vulnerable” in the Red List of Threatened Species. Prior to this, the giraffes were listed as “Least Concern”.

Adding on, two subspecies of giraffe genus (Kordofan and Nubian) were reclassified as critically endangered. Their population in eight countries – Eritrea, Guinea, Burkina, Faso, Nigeria, Malawi, Mauritania and Senegal – have plummeted. Besides that, there are seven other subspecies giraffes and thankfully, some of their populations are growing steadily.

Source: Animals

However, all nine subspecies (giraffe) still suffer at the hands of greedy poachers across Africa. Not only that, but agriculture, mining and construction in Africa are some of the other reasons for the depletion of giraffes there. The co-chairperson of the IUCN Special Survival Commission, Dr Julian Fennessy,

“Whilst giraffes are commonly seen on safaris, 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.

“It may come as a shock that three of the currently recognised nine subspecies are now considered ‘Critically Endangered’ or ‘Endangered’, but we have been sounding the alarm for a few years now.”

It’s extremely sad to see majestic species like giraffes (and even elephants) suffer because of our greed; hopefully, there’s a way to properly conserve the giraffes before it’s too late.

 

Also read: M’sia Voted AGAINST the Protection of Endangered Shark Species As It is Considered “Fish”