Recently, the petition submitted by conservation groups for giraffes to be included in the list of animals protected under the Endangered Species Act has been reviewed. The US Fish and Wildlife Service have just responded to the said petition protecting giraffes.
In 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has given a "vulnerable" status to the giraffes after their population was observed to decrease steadily. Giraffes inhabit countries across Africa where only over 97,000 have remained in the wild in 2016. The population was 36% to 40% higher in 1985.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service stated that the petition to list the giraffe presented substantial information on the potential threats associated with mining, land development, and agriculture.
For two years, the Center for Biological Diversity, Natural Resources Defense Council, International Fund for Animal Welfare, and the Humane Society of the United States/Humane Society International have fought for the giraffes' protection. The said agencies have started a petition in April 2017 for the protection of the said animals.
Three of the organizations filed a lawsuit against the US Fish and Wildlife Service in December as the agency has passed its stated 90-day review period to consider the petition. This move has compelled the agency to make a decision. However, The decision made on Thursday only means that the US Fish and Wildlife Service will conduct its own review to assess whether giraffes should be included on the list. This process could take up to 12 months.
After the review is done by the agency, it will be followed by a public comment period. Only then will the agency be able to decide whether the giraffes will be covered under the endangered species act.
The petition submitted by the conservation groups stated that the giraffes are experiencing a decrease in their numbers because of both illegal and legal hunting. Development and human encroachment that causes loss of habitat for the giraffes also contribute to the animals' significant decrease in numbers. US trade also plays a significant threat to the species as 39,516 giraffe specimens where are imported into the United States between 2006 to 2015, according to the petition submitted in 2017.
Tanya Sanerib, the international legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity, stated that the animals have been undergoing a silent extinction without the public being aware.
Currently, there are no restrictions regarding sales of giraffe parts of the United States.
