By Daniel Itai
As the world commemorates World Giraffe Day on the 21st of June every year, there are now fewer than 120,000 wild giraffes left in Africa.
According to Wild Tomorrow, a non-profit organization, giraffes are in serious trouble, with numbers plummeting by 30 percent over the last 30 years.
“Their plight receives far less attention in the media than elephants and rhinos, and their rise in the threat of extinction has been termed the silent extinction. For every four elephants, there is currently only one giraffe in the wild.
Related Posts
“In some areas of Africa that were regarded as prime giraffe habitat, numbers have dropped by a staggering 95 percent in the same period.” The organisation said.
The main threats to giraffes are habitat loss, civil unrest, as well as poaching for meat and the international trade in bone carvings, skins, and trophies.
“Habitat degradation and loss are caused by increasing human demand for agricultural land, farming livestock, and unsustainable timber and fuel-wood harvesting,” said Wild Tomorrow.
In addition, Wild Tomorrow stated that giraffe species, such as the Kordofan giraffe and Nubian giraffe, are critically endangered. This should serve as a reminder that animal and habitat conservation is a team effort that must be done in conjunction with each other.
Furthermore, the United Nations (U.N) Environment Programme has emphasized that giraffes are vital in keeping ecosystems in balance. By consuming hard-to-reach foliage, they create open areas for other animals to find food.
