Giraffes Silently Slip onto the Endangered Species List

In 2016, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) shifted the conservation status of giraffes from species of "least concern" to "vulnerable". It seems that in all of six years, the gentle giants had gone from a state of low or no concern to being just four steps away from a complete wipeout.

The population of giraffes dropped from over 157,000 in 1985 to around 97,500 in 2015 - a 40% drop in three decades. The IUCN Red List identified four major threats to giraffe populations: habitat loss, recreational killing, civil unrest and ecological changes.

Giraffes are commonly poached for their tails. Congolese populations consider the tail to be a status symbol, used as dowry while asking for a girl's hand in marriage. Some tribes are also known to kill these animals for meat. However, poaching for body parts, which is different, remains one of the biggest threats to their survival. Apart from tails, illegal trade in giraffe marrow, touted to cure AIDS, has also contributed to their decline.

The US is the biggest importer of hunting trophies from giraffes, according to The Guardian. A majority of trophy hunters also originate from the US. According to American conservationists, residents imported "21,402 bone carvings, 3,008 skin pieces and 3,744 miscellaneous trophies from giraffes". For this, they estimated at least 3,700 individuals would have had to be killed.

On the back of this data, the group urged the US Fish and Wildlife Service in 2017 to provide 'endangered species' protection to giraffes, a move that will restrict the import of any giraffe trophies except when the hunter can prove that the trophy helped sustain the giraffe population.

Habitat loss due to deforestation, land use conversion, agricultural...