Giraffes are extinct in at least 7 African countries out of 28 where they were present and still only 100 thousand specimens remain in fragmented populations.
A century ago, more than a million giraffes roamed sub-Saharan Africa. Today, they have practically become extinct in at least 7 out of 28 countries where they were present and still only 100 thousand specimens remain in fragmented populations across the continent.
To renew the alarm already launched three years ago by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, are now the wildlife experts who have participated in the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP13), which India hosts for the first time in Gandhinagar.
They warn on an essential point: the decline of giraffes by 40% over the past 30 years it now includes them as "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List. In particular, two subspecies, Nubian and Kordofan, are listed as "critically endangered", while two others, the reticulated giraffe and the Masai are "endangered".
Ultimately, this iconic six meter tall herbivore that used to roam 28 African countries is now virtually extinct in at least seven: Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria and Senegal.
In an effort to halt this decline, the governments of Cameroon, Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zimbabwe presented priority conservation measures at CMS COP13, which by the way is the only United Nations treaty that addresses migratory species and their habitats.
The development of infrastructure such as roads, railways, power lines and pipelines has created barriers to migration, fragmenting giraffe populations and their habitats. As if that weren't enough, habitat loss and degradation have also been fueled by fires, cattle raids, and illegal human invasions.
Poaching and the trade in meat and then in hides and tails for traditional medicine have further endangered the survival of the giraffe. Disease, civil unrest, climate change, human population growth, lack of law enforcement, and lack of conservation awareness of giraffes did the rest.
To protect the giraffes, the various states and experts are now calling for immediate action and precise strategies for collaboration and conservation throughout Africa. Time is very short now: a wonderful animal like the giraffe that is on the Earth from beyond 7 thousand years now it seriously risks disappearing.
There is a contribution to their protection The Giraffe Conservation Foundation, the foundation that is responsible for ensuring their survival. More information can be found here.
Fonte: Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals / IUCN Lista Rossa
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