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| © Mike Powles/Getty Images Masai giraffe (giraffa camelopardarlis) female showing placenta (afterbirth) and new born young (45 minutes old), Masai Mara, Kenya |
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced this month that it will conduct a review,
which could take as long as 12 months, to consider whether or not the
giraffe should be given “endangered” status on its list of animals at
risk.
Although the giraffe is not native to the U.S., the country plays a
significant role in its endangerment. From 2006 to 2015, more than
39,500 giraffes (dead and alive) were imported to the U.S., according to The Independent.
Since 1985, the giraffe’s native population has decreased by up to 40 percent, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
There are now only an estimated 97,000 giraffes remaining in the wild
(as measured in 2016). Groups including the Humane Society and the
Center for Biological Diversity have petitioned for the U.S. government
to consider the animal’s inclusion on the list of endangered species.
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| © Ibrahim Suha Derbent/Getty Images Ibrahim Suha Derbent/Getty Images |
Animal humane groups say that the giraffe is being hunted as meat and brought back to the United States as prizes. If the U.S. included the animal on the endangered species list, it would allow the government to restrict import of the animals killed abroad.
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| © Getty Images Getty Images |
There are current restrictions on elephants and lions that are hunted
abroad. Last year, the Trump administration suspended the restrictions,
ABC News reported, but quickly put them back in place after public outcry.
The Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973 to “develop comprehensive endangered species legislation,” according to the FWS.
Other factors putting the giraffe at risk are habitat loss and conflict between people and animals.
After the FWS conducts its review, there will be a period for public comment, after which a final decision will be announced.
After the FWS conducts its review, there will be a period for public comment, after which a final decision will be announced.
