Giraffes population has been declining and continues to calling the attention of five wildlife groups to petition the U.S Fish and Wildlife Services to add them to the endangered list.
They have been decreasing in numbers as they face an increasing number of threats from habitat loss, illegal hunting for bush meat and international trade in trophies and bone carvings. According to current surveys, giraffes now live in increasingly fragmented habitats. Giraffes also face the risk of collisions with vehicles and power lines.
Even though the giraffe is not a native of the United States, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services are still able to classify foreign species. By putting them in the list of endangered species, it won’t stop the killing in Africa, however, it can help from bringing in their parts to the United States and if it is successful it will limit or stop the import of the giraffe parts.
According to Jeffery Flocken, a regional director for International Fund for Animal Welfare, states that from 2006-2015 the United States was responsible for importing 3,744 giraffe hunting trophies which equated to one per day.
In a group analysis of import data, the United States has been responsible the past decade for importing 21,402 bone carvings, 3,008 skin pieces and 3,744 miscellaneous hunting trophies from giraffes.
If giraffes are placed on the list, they will receive more attention and will be able to have more opportunities for funding to monitor and protect the species. Currently, there is no list is no U.S. or international law protecting giraffes against exploitation for trade.
With a recent similar campaign with the lion, a petition was filed in 2011and took until December 2015 for the lion to be classified as endangered. Giraffes have been overlooked with the poaching crisis of elephants and rhinos.
Under federal rules, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services has 90 days to respond to the petition the wild groups and whether it will be warranted to put them on the list, however, it can take more than a year to assess and decide.
