Authorities are now looking into moving giraffes from being categorized as “vulnerable” to being “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act. This is in response to the species’ continuously dwindling numbers.

Petition For Endangered Species Act

On April 25, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it has reviewed the petition to add four species to the Endangered Species Act. Included in the petition are giraffes, the San Gabriel chestnut snail, and two plant species, the Refugio manzanita and the Arizona eryngo.

According to the announcement, the petitions for the San Gabriel chestnut snail and the Refugio manzanita did not come with substantial information to warrant them to be listed, and therefore no further action will be taken. This is because while both species occur in limited areas, there are adequate protected areas for both species.

However, the petitions for the Arizona eryngo and the giraffes are being considered. As such, the agency will conduct its own investigation, followed by a public comment period before they will announce whether the species will be protected under the law. This process may take up to 12 months to complete.

Giraffes

Giraffe populations have been steadily dwindling for years, with mining, agriculture, and development as some of the most common threats to the species. They are also threatened by commercial trade, poaching, recreational hunting, disease, smaller populations, and genetic isolation. According to International Union for Conservation of Nature, since 1985, giraffe populations have dwindled by 36 to 40 percent, and unfortunately, U.S. trade is one of the significant contributors to the decline.

In fact, from 2006 and 2015, nearly 40,000 giraffe specimens, both live and dead, have been brought into the United States. These include thousands of bone carvings, skin pieces, and hunting trophies, and so far there are no restrictions regarding the trade of giraffe parts.

Should giraffes be approved to be listed under the law, even if they are not native to the United States, restrictions may be placed regarding the trade of giraffes and giraffe parts in the country.