{"id":29,"date":"2016-12-08T00:01:36","date_gmt":"2016-12-08T00:01:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dereklee.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=29"},"modified":"2016-12-08T05:52:31","modified_gmt":"2016-12-08T05:52:31","slug":"giraffes-declared-vulnerable-to-extinction-worlds-leading-giraffe-experts-react","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/29\/giraffes-declared-vulnerable-to-extinction-worlds-leading-giraffe-experts-react\/","title":{"rendered":"Giraffes declared vulnerable to extinction, world&#8217;s leading giraffe experts react"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li>The giraffe is threatened with extinction, according to a new Red List assessment from the IUCN.<\/li>\n<li>The world\u2019s giraffe experts are actively working to conserve all subspecies of giraffes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Arusha, TANZANIA, 8 December 2016-<\/p>\n<p>The iconic giraffe, one of the world&#8217;s most recognizable animals and the tallest land mammal, is now threatened with extinction. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world body responsible for maintaining the global <a href=\"http:\/\/www.iucnredlist.org\/\">Red List of Threatened Species<\/a>, announced today that giraffes are officially in danger of extinction. The species, found only in Africa, has moved from the Red List category \u2018Least Concern\u2019 to \u2018Vulnerable\u2019 due to a dramatic 40% decline over the past 30 years. This announcement is the result of a new assessment of giraffes conducted by the world\u2019s leading experts. Dr. Anne Dagg, a prominent pioneer of giraffe research who has been working for nearly 50 years to conserve giraffes, said, \u201cWe must act now to ensure that these magnificent creatures never become extinct.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The primary causes for Red Listing the giraffe are illegal hunting and habitat loss. The largest giraffe populations tend to reside in protected areas such as national parks and reserves, but even giraffes in national parks are not entirely safe. \u201cIn protected areas we\u2019re still seeing giraffes threatened by poaching,\u201d says Dr. Megan Strauss, who recently completed a study in Tanzania\u2019s world-famous Serengeti National Park. \u201cPoachers in Serengeti target giraffes with snares hung in the tree canopy and this has contributed to a substantial decline in their numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, the world\u2019s giraffe experts are actively working to conserve the animals they spend their lives researching. The estimated 97,600 giraffes in the world are divided into nine subspecies; five subspecies have decreasing populations, three have increasing populations, and one is stable. The Thornicroft\u2019s giraffe subspecies in Zambia numbers only 600, but a small population was intensively monitored for decades and Dr. Fred Bercovitch, of the University of Kyoto, has used those data to illuminate many aspects of giraffe society and ecology. Dr. Bercovitch said, \u201cWith numbers dwindling, conservation action is essential, but requires a solid foundation of accurate knowledge about giraffe biology and ecology.\u201d Dr. Francois Deacon, a giraffe specialist at the University of the Free State in his native South Africa, added, \u201cThis vulnerability shows we are quickly losing grip on our last few natural populations.\u201d Dr. Deacon is leading several <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ufs.ac.za\/templates\/news-archive-item?news=6363\">research and conservation projects<\/a> to help save giraffes.<\/p>\n<p>Another giraffe hero is John Doherty, whose <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reticulatedgiraffeproject.net\/RGP\/Home.html\">Reticulated Giraffe Project<\/a> in Kenya is working to halt and reverse the population decline of its namesake subspecies, which numbers less than 8,000.<\/p>\n<p>With fewer than 2,000 individuals, the Rothchild\u2019s giraffe subspecies is in trouble, but the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.girafferesearch.com\/#\/research\/4568189659\">Rothchild\u2019s Giraffe Project<\/a>, based in Kenya, is leading research, conservation, and education efforts to save them. The head of the Rothchild\u2019s Giraffe Project, Zoe Muller said, \u201cOne of the most important aspects of conservation work must be to communicate the benefits of wildlife to the people sharing their habitat and environment, to local communities.\u201d Giraffes are one of the most important animals supporting the safari tourism industry that generates hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue each year for African countries. Safari tourism revenues help support protected areas, as well as public health, education, and infrastructure projects all across East and Southern Africa.<\/p>\n<p>Environmental education of both Africans and Americans is the focus of efforts led by Dr. Strauss and giraffe geneticist David Brown. They have developed <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jumathegiraffe.com\/parent--teacher-resources.html\">children\u2019s books, posters, and lesson plans<\/a> for educators that teach ecological and social lessons using giraffes as the focus. Brown said, \u201cHigh-quality, culturally relevant educational materials are nurturing the next generation of conservationists and a shared love of giraffes is building bridges between kids on both continents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Due to habitat losses across the continent, most giraffes in Africa now exist in fragmented landscapes with heavy human impacts. Dr. Derek Lee, of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wildnatureinstitute.org\/giraffe.html\">Wild Nature Institute<\/a> in Tanzania, is studying how giraffes use these fragmented landscapes in order to learn how people and giraffes can live together. This is one of the biggest studies of a large mammal ever undertaken, and includes data for more than 2,100 individual Masai giraffes. Masai giraffes are the most numerous subspecies at 31,000, but their population has halved since the 1980s. Dr. Lee said, &#8220;There is a great network of giraffe scientists working together to save them from extinction. We all hope this Vulnerable Red Listing will raise public awareness and increase support for giraffe conservation.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The giraffe is threatened with extinction, according to a new Red List assessment from the IUCN. The world\u2019s giraffe experts are actively working to conserve all subspecies of giraffes. Arusha, TANZANIA, 8 December 2016- The iconic giraffe, one of the world&#8217;s most recognizable animals and the tallest land mammal, is now threatened with extinction. The &#8230; <a title=\"Giraffes declared vulnerable to extinction, world&#8217;s leading giraffe experts react\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/29\/giraffes-declared-vulnerable-to-extinction-worlds-leading-giraffe-experts-react\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Giraffes declared vulnerable to extinction, world&#8217;s leading giraffe experts react\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":284,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Giraffes declared vulnerable to extinction, world&#039;s leading giraffe experts react - Derek Lee<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/29\/giraffes-declared-vulnerable-to-extinction-worlds-leading-giraffe-experts-react\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Giraffes declared vulnerable to extinction, world&#039;s leading giraffe experts react\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The giraffe is threatened with extinction, according to a new Red List assessment from the IUCN. The world\u2019s giraffe experts are actively working to conserve all subspecies of giraffes. Arusha, TANZANIA, 8 December 2016- The iconic giraffe, one of the world&#8217;s most recognizable animals and the tallest land mammal, is now threatened with extinction. The ... 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Current research investigates Masai Giraffe and other large mammal populations within a fragmented landscape in Tanzania. This work examines how births, deaths, and movements of ungulates are impacted by increasingly fragmented wildlife habitat, and what conservation actions are most effective. He spent 10 years researching the impacts of climate and ocean conditions on survival, reproduction, and population growth rates of marine predators such as northern elephant seals, Common Murres, and Cassin's Auklets at the South Farallon Islands, California. His work was included in a conservation and management plan for seabirds in the California Current. He also studied migration of Black Brant in Humboldt Bay as well as fire ecology of small mammals in California's oak woodlands and California Spotted Owls in the Sierra Nevada.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.wildnatureinstitute.org\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/dereklee\\\/author\\\/dereklee\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Giraffes declared vulnerable to extinction, world's leading giraffe experts react - Derek Lee","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/29\/giraffes-declared-vulnerable-to-extinction-worlds-leading-giraffe-experts-react\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Giraffes declared vulnerable to extinction, world's leading giraffe experts react","og_description":"The giraffe is threatened with extinction, according to a new Red List assessment from the IUCN. 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Current research investigates Masai Giraffe and other large mammal populations within a fragmented landscape in Tanzania. This work examines how births, deaths, and movements of ungulates are impacted by increasingly fragmented wildlife habitat, and what conservation actions are most effective. He spent 10 years researching the impacts of climate and ocean conditions on survival, reproduction, and population growth rates of marine predators such as northern elephant seals, Common Murres, and Cassin's Auklets at the South Farallon Islands, California. His work was included in a conservation and management plan for seabirds in the California Current. He also studied migration of Black Brant in Humboldt Bay as well as fire ecology of small mammals in California's oak woodlands and California Spotted Owls in the Sierra Nevada.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.wildnatureinstitute.org"],"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/author\/dereklee\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgtNOJ-t","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":39,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/39\/how-many-species-of-giraffe-are-there\/","url_meta":{"origin":29,"position":0},"title":"How many species of Giraffe are there?","author":"Derek Lee","date":"March 6, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Some people might be confused by the media announcing that there are \"now\" four species of giraffes, followed shortly thereafter by the IUCN press release that there is one species of giraffe (with nine subspecies) now considered to be Vulnerable to Extinction on the Red List.\u00a0 The IUCN currently recognizes\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;ecology&quot;","block_context":{"text":"ecology","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/category\/ecology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2016\/12\/Calf2016_funk.jpg?fit=708%2C546&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2016\/12\/Calf2016_funk.jpg?fit=708%2C546&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2016\/12\/Calf2016_funk.jpg?fit=708%2C546&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2016\/12\/Calf2016_funk.jpg?fit=708%2C546&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":48,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/48\/five-wildlife-protection-groups-petitioned-the-u-s-fish-and-wildlife-service-to-protect-giraffes-under-the-u-s-endangered-species-act\/","url_meta":{"origin":29,"position":1},"title":"Five Wildlife Protection Groups Petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Protect Giraffes under the U.S. Endangered Species Act","author":"Derek Lee","date":"April 19, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"In response to recent scientific consensus on giraffes' vulnerability to extinction, five wildlife protection groups today petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect Earth's tallest land animal under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The legal petition, filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, Humane Society International, The Humane\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;animal&quot;","block_context":{"text":"animal","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/category\/animal\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Picture of Giraffes in Tanzania, WIld Nature Institute","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2016\/12\/giraffe01_funky_web.png?fit=878%2C490&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2016\/12\/giraffe01_funky_web.png?fit=878%2C490&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2016\/12\/giraffe01_funky_web.png?fit=878%2C490&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2016\/12\/giraffe01_funky_web.png?fit=878%2C490&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":337,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/337\/the-best-way-to-save-giraffes-is-to-support-wildlife-law-enforcement-and-end-poaching\/","url_meta":{"origin":29,"position":2},"title":"The Best Way to Save Giraffes is to Support Wildlife Law Enforcement and End Poaching","author":"Derek Lee","date":"October 11, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Iconic animals such as giraffes can be flagship species for conservation because of their charisma and popularity among the public. A new study explored the various threats to giraffe populations, and how specific human actions can mediate those threats so that giraffes and people can thrive together in African savannas.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;animal&quot;","block_context":{"text":"animal","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/category\/animal\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"giraffes","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/02\/giraffesngo_orig.jpg?fit=1024%2C385&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/02\/giraffesngo_orig.jpg?fit=1024%2C385&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/02\/giraffesngo_orig.jpg?fit=1024%2C385&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/02\/giraffesngo_orig.jpg?fit=1024%2C385&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":241,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/241\/baby-giraffes-hide-in-bushes-from-natural-predators-but-have-a-mixed-relationship-with-people\/","url_meta":{"origin":29,"position":3},"title":"Baby Giraffes Hide in Bushes from Natural Predators but Have a Mixed Relationship With People","author":"Derek Lee","date":"August 28, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"ARUSHA, Tanzania\u2013Masai giraffes are the world\u2019s tallest herbivores and beloved by people around the globe, but were recently classified as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). New research published in Oecologia showed how food, predators, and people all influence giraffe social behavior. In particular,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;animal&quot;","block_context":{"text":"animal","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/category\/animal\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"giraffes","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/02\/giraffesngo_orig.jpg?fit=1024%2C385&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/02\/giraffesngo_orig.jpg?fit=1024%2C385&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/02\/giraffesngo_orig.jpg?fit=1024%2C385&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/02\/giraffesngo_orig.jpg?fit=1024%2C385&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":31,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/31\/we-need-you-to-become-a-giraffe-hero\/","url_meta":{"origin":29,"position":4},"title":"We Need You To Become A Giraffe Hero","author":"Derek Lee","date":"December 10, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Since the announcement that giraffes are Vulnerable to Extinction, many concerned people have asked me what they can do to help save giraffes. Giving money and\/or time to conservation groups like Wild Nature Institute is a great first action to help giraffes. Whatever your skill set, there is an important\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;ecology&quot;","block_context":{"text":"ecology","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/category\/ecology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":204,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/204\/new-study-reveals-how-human-settlements-and-rainfall-affect-giraffe-space-use\/","url_meta":{"origin":29,"position":5},"title":"New study reveals how human settlements and rainfall affect giraffe space use","author":"Derek Lee","date":"February 22, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"ARUSHA, Tanzania, 22 February 2019 \u2013 Giraffes are huge browsing animals that live in African savanna ecosystems where they must find everything they need to survive and reproduce in landscapes increasingly impacted by human activities. People are converting natural savannas to towns and farms, and cutting trees for fuelwood and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;animal&quot;","block_context":{"text":"animal","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/category\/animal\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"giraffes","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/02\/giraffesngo_orig.jpg?fit=1024%2C385&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/02\/giraffesngo_orig.jpg?fit=1024%2C385&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/02\/giraffesngo_orig.jpg?fit=1024%2C385&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/02\/giraffesngo_orig.jpg?fit=1024%2C385&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/284"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}