US officials push to add some giraffes to endangered species list

Three giraffe subspecies should be added to the endangered species list, U.S. officials said Wednesday, as their populations continue a yearslong trend of decline.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed that the West African, Kordofan and Nuban subspecies of northern giraffe be considered endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Additionally, the service proposed listing the reticulated giraffe and Masai giraffe as threatened.

“Federal protections for giraffes will help protect a vulnerable species, foster biodiversity, support ecosystem health, combat wildlife trafficking, and promote sustainable economic practices,” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams said in a statement. “This action supports giraffe conservation while ensuring the United States does not contribute further to their decline.”

The Endangered Species Act, enacted in 1973, “establishes protections for fish, wildlife, and plants that are listed as threatened or endangered,” according to the agency.

Giraffe populations are in decline due to poaching, habitat loss and climate change, according to the fish and wildlife service. Other primary threats include human population growth and fragmentation and degradation caused by to urbanization, officials said.

The proposed listing would help the animals through reducing illegal hunting and trade by requiring permits to import giraffes into the U.S., the fish and wildlife service said.

Trade with the U.S. is not the main threat to the declining giraffe population, FWS officials noted, but it is a contributing factor. Additionally, giraffes' hair, tails and "use in traditional medicine" make them valuable. More recently, giraffes have been targeted by hunters and poachers for bushmeat.

Listing giraffes as endangered would also increase funding for conservation in their range countries, boost funding for research efforts to address conservation and give limited financial assistance to conservation programs, officials said.

Since 1985, the population of West African, Kordofan and Nuban giraffes has declined by approximately 77% — from over 25,000 animals to just under 6,000, according to the FWS. There are only 690 West African giraffes remaining, officials said.

The vast majority of the reticulated giraffe population — about 15,985 animals — is located in Kenya, the FWS said in its release. There are around 45,400 Masai giraffes, roughly 67% of their total population from the 1970s.

Giraffes, the tallest living terrestrial animals, spend much of their time feeding on leaves, stems, flowers and fruit, the FWS said. The animals are versatile and able to adapt to a number of habitats but are most often found in savannas and woodland habitats, always near trees or bushes.

The proposal to list the giraffe subspecies as endangered is open for public comment for 90 days.

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