. The Giraffe Conservation Foundation’s (GCF), conducted an assessment that revealed that the overall population of giraffes has fallen by more than 40% over the last 15 year.
Kathleen Garrigan is the senior communication officer at the African Wildlife Foundation. She said that while there have been alarm bells sounding over the imminent extinction the African elephant due to poaching — an extremely serious situation — the estimated 450,000 African Elephants outnumber the 80,000 Giraffe. However, giraffes may soon be considered endangered. According to Mother Nature Network, the organization believes that there is a silent extinction due to the insufficient public awareness.
The problem revolves around African elephants. MNN states that habitat loss by humans, as well as the hunt for their durable and patterned skin, is putting the giraffe populations in peril. This is due to a belief system that giraffes live in abundance, with little data. Megan Strauss, a University of Minnesota Ph.D. candidate said to the New York Times that she first became curious about giraffes 2008. She also added: “It was astonishing that something so well-known as the Giraffe could have been so poorly studied.” Next year’s GCF report will be released.