Two giraffe subspecies are considered critically endangered and one endangered.
These majestic animals are facing a silent extinction. Three subspecies of giraffe are in fact in danger of total disappearance for the first time in history
The International Union for Conservation of Nature, the IUCN, recently updated its Red List of Threatened Species and now, alas, two giraffe subspecies are considered critically endangered and one endangered.
These are the Nubian giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis) and the Kordofan giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis antiquorum), which for the first time in history have been classified as endangered species, and the Rothschild (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi), endangered.
Giraffes are some of the most bizarre creatures on earth and they are also some of the most popular animals. Yet, in recent years, giraffes have undergone a "silent extinction”: Although populations are growing slightly in some areas, in others they are decreasing at an alarming rate.
Until 2016, all giraffe populations had been classified as "least concern", but later, and in the same year, the Global Red List of Threatened Species classified them as "vulnerable”Which means that the population has decreased by more than 30% in the last three generations. Since then, things have gotten worse.
"While giraffes are commonly seen on safaris, in the media and in zoos, people - including conservationists - are unaware that these majestic animals are facing silent extinction," said Dr. Julian Fennesy, director of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation. It might seem shocking that three of the nine currently recognized subspecies are now considered critically endangered or endangered, ”but we've been sounding the alarm for a few years.
The third subspecies of which Fenney speaks is the Rothschild's giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi), classified with the EN code, that is, in danger of extinction.
The Nubian giraffe lives in eastern Sudan, western Ethiopia and parts of Uganda, Kenya and South Sudan, but is already extinct in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt and Eritrea.
The Kordofan giraffe is found in northern Cameroon, the Central African Republic, southern Chad, and some specimens may still be found in western Sudan. In both cases the specimens in nature are about 2 thousand.
The threats come mainly from the loss of natural habitat, from poaching and from continuous contact with humans due to population growth. It is estimated that in total there are only 68 giraffes in nature and that two subspecies have yet to be evaluated by scientists.
Hopefully, governments now take serious steps to protect these truly unique animals.
Read also
- Carl Jones, the man who saved more endangered animals than anyone else
- Over 26 thousand species at risk of extinction: the IUCN red list updated
- 10 animal species at risk of extinction
Germana Carillo
