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Nature & Environment

Bleak figures show giraffes face extinction

By T.K. Randall
December 8, 2016 · Comment icon 113 comments

Giraffe numbers have been decreasing at an alarming rate. Image Credit: CC BY 2.0 Tony Hisgett
The world's tallest animal has suffered a worrying decline in numbers over the last three decades.
The latest 'red list' analysis, which has been compiled by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), has revealed an alarming decline in several species.

Perhaps most notable among these is the giraffe which is now considered to be an endangered species following a population decrease of over 40% within the last three decades.

The report also saw a decline in the wild relatives of crops such as mangoes and sunflowers which could make it difficult in the future to breed new disease and drought-resistant varieties.
Animals including the Eastern gorilla and whale shark are now also closer to extinction than ever before however there is some good news in that the giant panda has been doing better lately.

The list now includes 85,000 endangered species with 24,000 of those at risk of going extinct.

"Many species are slipping away before we can even describe them," said IUCN's director general Inger Andersen. "This red list update shows that the scale of the global extinction crisis may be even greater than we thought."

"Governments gathered at [this month's] UN biodiversity summit have the immense responsibility to step up their efforts to protect our planet's biodiversity - not just for its own sake but for human imperatives such as food security and sustainable development."

Source: The Guardian | Comments (113)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #104 Posted by seeder 7 years ago
every zoo Ive ever been too has had giraffes.....no doubt the same with every country maybe we should send them back to live free....and rejuvenate the gene pool
Comment icon #105 Posted by Yamato 7 years ago
We'll spend trillions more dollars taking the oil and nobody will lift a finger to save the giraffe.   If they do they'll be branded like steers as "terrorists" and every other dirty-but-PC name in the book.  Eventually the giraffe will go extinct like many other species in this, the 7th mass extinction event and 1st anthropomorphic mass extinction event.   Send them back to Africa?   No large species is safe in the wilderness there anymore, and that has nothing to do with the other animals in the ecosystem, but that's what the experts will fish out of the data to report on the big ride ... [More]
Comment icon #106 Posted by Unfortunately 7 years ago
That would be brilliant, but unfortunately many of the animals have either been bred in captivity or have been there too long that they have become dependant on the localised treatment and will not survive very long outside in the wild :/ otherwise this would definitely be a possible solution to this problem that I would totally be all for doing.
Comment icon #107 Posted by seeder 7 years ago
  Giraffes will see how other giraffes eat....and hunger is a motivator. No one ever taught a cow what or how to eat
Comment icon #108 Posted by Unfortunately 7 years ago
True, but one of the main issues is whether or not another herd will accept the giraffe, if not then it's chances for survival are unfortunately minimal at best :(. Despite being massive animals a singular giraffe is still very much a target to a pack of hungry predators (albeit quite a difficult target).
Comment icon #109 Posted by Unfortunately 7 years ago
Perhaps if there was a way to slowly allow for another herd to learn to accept the released giraffe? That could be a potential solution.
Comment icon #110 Posted by seeder 7 years ago
  Giraffes arent Lions...they are pretty docile creatures.... I dont see any problems..  
Comment icon #111 Posted by Unfortunately 7 years ago
Hmm, I did some more reading in accordance with giraffe and you're right, although many captive-born individuals may not be able to survive the harsh climates presented in the wild I can't find anything about giraffe having issues with integrating into a wild herd. Good call maybe they should look further into your idea as a probable solution to conserving the species. It would be amazing if they were able to do this. The only reason I mentioned the possible issue with wild herds was because I have read of some animals that shun and sometimes kill any new individuals due to their unusual scent... [More]
Comment icon #112 Posted by seeder 7 years ago
  You actually HAD to look that up?....phew....Id have thought it was obvious among non meat eaters..
Comment icon #113 Posted by Unfortunately 7 years ago
It might seem obvious, but as I said, I've read about small mammals (non-carnivorous) that shun others that are introduced as well as a few primates that become violent when other individuals are introduced to the species. Mostly territorial animals. Hence my speculation. It is always good to check the facts before making an assumption . You make a fair point though, I should have known .


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