Shocking as it might sound, these tall, peaceful, and majestic giants of the wild are quickly losing the battle against the human invasion of their natural habitats.
And here's the verdict: if our destruction of their natural homes does not end as soon as possible, giraffes could easily join mammoths and other extinct animals in the ever-growing list of extinct species.
For the longest time, we have known that human activity has wiped many animal and plant species off the face of the earth.
But What Have We Done About It?
Honestly, not much.
Today, two giraffe subspecies might soon become extinct unless some changes are done to stall this vicious trend.
In the last three decades, their number has fallen by over 40 percent. This is according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). At such an alarming rate, it is only a matter of time before the species is completely pushed into extinction.
At the moment, the giraffes are classified as "vulnerable" on the Red List of Threatened Species.
The two subspecies are Kordofan and Nubian, which have been labeled "Critically Endangered." Their populations are falling critically in wild areas in Guinea, Eritrea, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Malawi, and Mauritania.
However, all giraffe species are struggling to keep their numbers up, although these two have suffered the most from the impact of mining, poaching, construction, and agriculture.
There Are Nine Giraffe Species
According to Dr. Julian Fennessy, who co-chairs the IUCN Special Survival Commission, "Whilst giraffes are commonly seen on safari, in the media, and in zoos, most people, including conservationists, are unaware that these majestic animals are undergoing a silent extinction."
In Southern Africa, these wild animals are not badly off. But in areas of East, Central, and West Africa, they are under severe pressure to survive against the overwhelming tide of human invasion.
Surprisingly, this is not the first time the issue of the endangered subspecies has come up. According to Dr. Julian, experts have been "sounding the alarm for a few years now."
Giraffes Face Two Main Threats: Encroachment From Cities And Poaching
However, poaching is becoming their greatest problem, with some villagers taking them down for their meat.
But there is also the issue of killing them to get their tails, which some people consider a status symbol and a means to pay dowry in some cultures.
So, unlike what many people think, elephants and rhinos are not the only animals poachers target.
The heads of giraffes and their bones can cost as much as $140 each.
The truth of the matter is that we need more awareness of the giraffe extinction issue because things are getting out of hand. Unless something is done, and soon, zoos might have no giraffes for us to see in the future.