Guest CzarnaWisnia Posted December 8, 2016 Share Posted December 8, 2016 Giraffes threatened by extinction, put on watch list While many worry about the status of elephants, they are not as rare as giraffes The giraffe, the tallest land animal, is now at risk of extinction, biologists say. Because the giraffe population has declined by nearly 40 per cent in just 30 years, scientists put it on the official watch list of threatened and endangered species worldwide, calling it "vulnerable." That's two steps up the danger ladder from its previous designation of being a species of least concern. In 1985, there were between 151,000 and 163,000 giraffes, but in 2015 the number was down to 97,562, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). At a biodiversity meeting Wednesday in Mexico, the IUCN increased the threat level for 35 species and lowered the threat level for seven on its Red List of threatened species, considered by scientists the official list of what animals and plants are in danger of disappearing. The giraffe is the only mammal with a changed status on the list this year. Scientists blame habitat loss. Not just about elephants While everyone worries about elephants, Earth has four times as many pachyderms as giraffes, said Julian Fennessy and Noelle Kumpel, co-chairs of the specialty group of biologists that put the giraffe on the IUCN Red List. They both called what's happening to giraffes a "silent extinction." "Everyone assumes giraffes are everywhere," said Fennessy, co-director of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation. But they're not, Fennessy said. Until recently, biologists hadn't done a good job assessing giraffes' numbers and where they can be found, and they have been lumped into one broad species instead of nine separate subspecies. "There's a strong tendency to think that familiar species (such as giraffes, chimps, etc.) must be okay because they are familiar and we see them in zoos," said Duke University conservation biologist Stuart Pimm, who wasn't part of the work and has criticized the IUCN for not putting enough species on the threat list. "This is dangerous." Fennessy blamed shrinking living space as the main culprit in the declining giraffe population, worsened by poaching and disease. People are moving into giraffe areas especially in central and eastern Africa. Giraffe numbers are plunging most in central and eastern Africa and are being offset by increases in southern Africa, he said. http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/giraffes-iucn-vulnerable-extinction-watchlist-1.3886864 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzy Jan Posted December 8, 2016 Share Posted December 8, 2016 Such graceful, unique and beautiful animals. Hope that everything possible will be done to save them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightcutter Posted December 8, 2016 Share Posted December 8, 2016 I love giraffes. I love most animals. Even ugly spiky beetles. I'm an animal softie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsaacHarris Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 NO! They are one of my favorite animals on this Earth. I swear, humans are the fucking worst; poaching in some cases, brings revenue to certain countries, but at the expense of wiping out an entire species? UGH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sky Fits Heaven Posted December 9, 2016 Share Posted December 9, 2016 Wow! Giraffe is such a popular animal that I wouldn't even guess about something like this! I hope we can save them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ULIZOS Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 Well, that's what they get for being so different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Django Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 The only ones who really deserve extinction are humans. So unfair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ULIZOS Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 I don't deserve extinction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runa Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 I remember someone here that I won't name said he doesn't mind when animals get extinct. I was like WTF ??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 Only time saw giraffes in person was when visiting Bronx zoo. They're really buetiful and peaceful animals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaudet Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 Poachers should be extincted, not giraffes or any animal for that matter. @runa is that person still around or is he part of the recent mass migration? I hope the latter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LVX Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 1 hour ago, pjcowley said: Poachers should be extincted, not giraffes or any animal for that matter. This. Sometimes I just hate humans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runa Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 4 hours ago, pjcowley said: @runa is that person still around or is he part of the recent mass migration? I hope the latter. Oh no... he's still around. To each his own, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horn Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 One of the world's beat 50 restaurant - Carnivore in Nairobi Kenya, they serve giraffe meat (raised on ranch). But that was around early 2000. Not sure about now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin B. Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 Such a beautiful animal. 😭 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Posted December 10, 2016 Share Posted December 10, 2016 4 hours ago, horn said: One of the world's beat 50 restaurant - Carnivore in Nairobi Kenya, they serve giraffe meat (raised on ranch). But that was around early 2000. Not sure about now. Don't know if giraffes are part of bush meat that's smuggled in Africa, but underground bush meat trade still going very strong. Just wonder how global organizations can better help feed people in poor and disadvantaged regions while helping to stop extinction of animals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5iVe Elements Posted December 13, 2016 Share Posted December 13, 2016 On 12/10/2016 at 0:49 PM, runa said: I remember someone here that I won't name said he doesn't mind when animals get extinct. I was like WTF ??? Horrible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.