NPR

Wildlife Groups Want Giraffes Added To Endangered Species List

The global giraffe population has dropped sharply in recent decades, prompting calls to protect the species from habitat loss, illegal hunting and trophy seekers.
Three giraffes and a white rhino laze in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania in 2012. The global giraffe population has dropped sharply in recent decades, prompting wildlife groups to urge the giraffe's addition to the endangered species list.

With its spindly legs, distinctive patterning, and absurdly long neck, the giraffe makes a compelling figure on the savanna. But the population of the world's tallest mammal has dropped sharply in recent decades – from about 150,000 in 1985, to fewer than 100,000 today.

That decline prompted five wildlife groups to on Wednesday to classify the giraffe. They say the giraffe is facing increasing threats from habitat loss, illegal hunting for bush meat and an international trade in trophies and bone carvings.

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