World Giraffe Day: No more than 80,000 giraffe left in Africa

SATURDAY 21 June will not only be the summer solstice but also the first-ever World Giraffe Day – the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere seems the most appropriate day to celebrate the tallest animal with the longest neck! Despite that cute tie-in, giraffes actually face a pretty dire future, if recent history is any indication. Africa’s giraffe population has fallen by 40 percent in the past 15 or so years, and only 80,000 individuals remain–one fifth of Africa’s elephant population. This year conservationists are raising awareness about the plight of this African icon on the first-ever annual World Giraffe Day.

World Giraffe Day offers a chance to highlight how the giraffe, which, alongside elephants, rhinos, and other African megafauna, is being threatened by a number of human activities, including poaching, disease, habitat loss, war, and conflict with humans over scarce resources. “Giraffes are one of Africa’s most beloved animals and always seem to be a part of the traditional African backdrop,” says Dr. Philip Muruthi, senior director of conservation science at the African Wildlife Foundation’s (AWF). The AWF is a leading conservation organisation that protects endangered species and land, promotes conservation enterprises that benefit local African communities, and trains hundreds of Africans in conservation.

Though listed as “least concern” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, giraffe camelopardalis does include two subspecies, the West African giraffe and the Rothschild’s giraffe that are now categorised as endangered. The small population of West African giraffe, located in Niger, comprises an estimated 400 individuals, while the Rothschild’s giraffe, found only in Kenya and Uganda, numbers about 1,100. “Because there is a lack of data about local populations as well as the continental giraffe population, it’s important for the scientific community to undertake giraffe research. This will give us a clearer picture of the situation on the ground and help focus resources and protection efforts,” explains Muruthi. Over the past few years, AWF has worked with partners and local communities for the past few years in Niger to better understand and protect the West African giraffe.

“The West African giraffe lives only in Niger, mainly on community lands and farms. This coexistence with humans has led to reduced and degraded habitat for giraffe, as well as incidents of human–giraffe conflict,” says Theo Way Nana, a conservation management trainee for African Wildlife Foundation who is currently engaged in the organization’s giraffe and elephant conservation work in Niger, Burkina Faso, and Benin. To that end, AWF has supported periodic giraffe censuses, engaged local communities to mitigate human–giraffe conflict, and worked with residents to restore giraffe habitat.

Read more: http://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/world-giraffe-day-no-more-than-80000-giraffe-left-in-africa.htm