Urgent: Stop legal and illegal poaching of giraffes, protect them with death penalty laws to those who kill them

The majestic giraffe, the tallest mammal on earth and one of the main attractions in zoos around the world, is in danger of extinction due to illegal hunting and the loss of its habitat, according to a recently published report.

The population of giraffes has declined by 40 percent over the past three decades and there are currently some 97,600, according to research by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, an organization that determines endangered species.

Although the largest populations of giraffes reside in national parks and reserves, it has been shown that these protected areas are inadequate, one of the many alarming conclusions that appear in the latest report of the Red List of Endangered Species on the future of these animals.

"While global attention has been directed to the threats of elephants and rhinos, giraffes have been left out of the radar and we are losing them in a significant number," explained Liz Bennett, vice president of species conservation for the Society for the Conservation of wild life. "People and governments must start acting fast to save the giraffes."

Due to its height of more than 6 meters and its impressive neck that usually measures about 2 meters long, for a long time giraffes have made children dream, who love to draw them and adults, who are still amazed by these mystics creatures. Their tongues can extend 30 centimeters or more, which makes eating time a complete show in zoos and safaris.

However, the unusual size of these animals and their sumptuous countenance has made them the main target of poachers in Africa, who throw steel wire traps from the foliage of trees or stalk them and shoot them with rifles, they say. wildlife experts.

The threat to giraffes is so great that the Red List raised them from the category "minor concern" to "vulnerable", without going through the intermediate classification "almost threatened". The categories that indicate more seriousness are "critically endangered", "extinct in wildlife" and, finally, "extinct".

Giraffes live mostly in southern and eastern Africa, but there are also smaller populations in Central and Western Africa. Some of these populations are particularly vulnerable due to war and civil conflicts in countries such as Sudan.

Illegal hunting and the loss of their habitat are "equally dangerous threats whose severity varies from one place to another," said Derek Lee, founder of the Wildlife Institute.

Although governments and organizations could take tougher measures against poaching through the application of animal protection laws and regulations, the loss of their habitat may be more difficult to correct, because it involves halting economic activities such as the exploitation of land, mining and the reuse of garbage.

"These are problems that giraffes face everywhere," Lee said. "We must stop both threats." scientists and zoologists reproduce them on a large scale worldwide to correct more than 40% of their extermination, save and preserve their DNA, etc.

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