Three subspecies of giraffes should be added to the endangered species list, U.S. officials said Wednesday, as their populations continue a years-long trend of decline.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed listing the West African, Kordofan and Nubian subspecies of the northern giraffe as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. In addition, the agency proposed listing the reticulated giraffe and the Masai giraffe as endangered.
“Federal protections for giraffes will help protect a vulnerable species, promote biodiversity, support ecosystem health, combat wildlife trafficking and promote sustainable economic practices,” said Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams in a statement. “This action supports giraffe conservation while ensuring the United States does not further contribute to their decline.”
The Endangered Species Act, which was enacted in 1973, “provides protection for fish, wildlife, and plants considered endangered or threatened,” the agency said.
According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, giraffe populations are declining due to poaching, habitat loss and climate change. Other primary threats include human population growth and fragmentation and degradation caused by urbanization, officials said.
The proposed listing would help the animals by reducing illegal hunting and trade by requiring permits to import giraffes into the U.S., the Fish and Wildlife Service said.
Trade with the U.S. isn’t the biggest threat to the dwindling giraffe population, Fish and Wildlife Service officials say, but it is a contributor. Furthermore, the hair and tail of giraffes and their ‘use in traditional medicine’ make them valuable. More recently, giraffes have been targeted by hunters and poachers for bushmeat.
Listing giraffes as endangered would also increase funding for conservation in the countries where they occur, increase funding for research efforts to address conservation issues and provide limited financial support for conservation programs, officials said.
Since 1985, the population of West African, Kordofan and Nubian giraffes has declined by about 77% – from more than 25,000 animals to just under 6,000, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service. There are only 690 West African giraffes left, officials say.
The vast majority of the reticulated giraffe population – about 15,985 animals – is in Kenya, the Fish and Wildlife Service said. There are approximately 45,400 Maasai giraffes, approximately 67% of their total population in the 1970s.
Giraffes, the largest living land animals, spend much of their time feeding on leaves, stems, flowers and fruit, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service. The animals are versatile and can adapt to a number of habitats, but they are most often found in savannas and forest habitats, always near trees or shrubs.
The proposal to designate the giraffe subspecies as endangered is open for public comment for 90 days.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
