Giraffe populations are in trouble — and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Wednesday proposed listing three subspecies of the large animals as endangered and two species as threatened under the law. Endangered Species Act.
Their populations have declined because poachinghabitat loss and climate change, officials said. Even though giraffes are not native to the United States, including them in the law would still provide protection for giraffe populations.
The Endangered Species Act, signed into law in 1973, establishes protections for fish, wildlife, and plants listed as threatened or endangered. Under the law, federal agencies are required to ensure that their actions do not risk endangering listed species, according to the agency.
“Federal protections for giraffes will help protect a vulnerable species, promote biodiversity, support ecosystem health, combat wildlife trafficking and promote sustainable economic practices,” said the director of the USFWS, Martha Williams, in a press release. “This action supports giraffe conservation while ensuring the United States does not further contribute to their decline.”
Specifically, officials said listing would help giraffes by reducing illegal hunting and the giraffe trade by requiring permits for importation into the United States. Trade is not the main factor in the population decline, but it plays a role, the USFWS said. Their hair and tail have long been used in traditional medicine, the agency added, and in recent years giraffes have also been targeted by hunters for their bushmeat.
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Listing them in the Endangered Species Act would also increase funding for species conservation in range countries and for research efforts to address conservation. It would also provide limited financial support for the development and management of giraffe conservation programs, the USFWS said.
Giraffe subspecies across Africa are endangered, according to the agency. The service proposed listing giraffes in West Africa, Kordofan and Nubia as endangered. He also proposes including the Masai and reticulated giraffes on the list of endangered species.
Populations in West Africa, Kordofan and Nubia — all subspecies of the northern giraffe — have seen their populations drop by about 77 percent since 1985, according to federal officials. There are about 5,900 left, including only 690 West African giraffes.
The vast majority of reticulated giraffes live in Kenya and their population is estimated at 15,985, according to the USFWS. There are approximately 45,400 Masai giraffes, roughly equivalent to 67% of their population in the 1970s.
Giraffes feed on leaves, stems, flowers and fruits, so human population growth and habitat loss can harm the species. Drought events have also led to an increase in human-wildlife conflicts.
The proposed rule to list giraffe species has a 90-day comment period.