What is the world’s tallest animal? That’s right. Now how would you describe a giraffe to someone who has never seen one?
If we refuse to mend our ways, future generations may grow up learning that the elephant is the world’s tallest mammal, and not the long-necked, herbivorous, yellow and brown creature who held the title during our time.
The goofy-looking mammal has been listed on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Red List of Threatened Species, for the first time ever.
The long-necked wonder is now just four steps away from extinction.
The global giraffe population has seen a decline of 36-40%, with the number falling from 1,51,702 to 1,63,452 in 1985 to 97,562 in 2015. According to IUCN data, of the nine subspecies of giraffe, three have increasing populations and five have decreasing populations, while only one is stable.
For years, giraffes have been killed off in large numbers, though unlike their elephant and rhino neighbours, they’ve gone down without as much noise.
The growing human population is having a negative impact on many giraffe subpopulations. Illegal hunting, habitat loss and changes through expanding agriculture and mining, increasing human-wildlife conflict, and civil unrest are all pushing the species towards extinction.IUCN
Watch rare Kordofan giraffes being hunted for their tails in the Congo in this video:
Needless to say, Twitterati were mortified at the news:
Did you know that no two giraffes share the same spot pattern?
Giraffes are fascinating creatures. Did you know that giraffes do everything while standing up? Yes, including sleeping and delivering babies.
Speaking of baby giraffes, let this little guy convince you to conserve the environment and remove the world’s tallest mammal from the endangered list.
(Data from IUCN)
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