I think most of you will know by now that I’m not a big fan of trophy hunters. In fact, they make me sick, and this story, concerning one of my favorite animals, the giraffe has made feel that way even more so. Shocking figures have emerged recently which detail just how much of a threat American trophy hunters are posing to the species.
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It is estimated that the giraffe population of sub-Saharan Africa has experienced a 40% drop in the previous decade, and this is largely caused by trophy hunting by American tourists.
Believe it or not, just under 100,000 giraffes are thought to remain in the wild, with many environmentalists now calling on the United States to declare them as an endangered species to prevent their ‘silent extinction’.
A baby Rothschild giraffe that was born on the 3rd October at West Midland Safari and Leisure Park, Bewdley in Worcestershire.
So what can we do? Well, if, as experts have advised, the United States were to designate giraffes as an endangered species, it would mean that trophy hunters would have to prove that their hunting was for the purposes of conservation, in order for it to be legal for them to bring trophies back to the US.
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Jeff Flocken, regional director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare in North America, said in an interview with The Guardian:
“When I was doing research on giraffes in Kenya a few years ago, they were quite abundant and no one questioned that they were doing well,”
“Only recently have we looked at them critically and seen this huge drop, which has been a shock to the conservation community. This is an iconic animal and it’s in deep trouble.”
Masha Kalinina, a specialist with the Humane Society, agreed with her peer and told the paper: “Currently, no US or international law protects giraffes against over-exploitation for trade,” she said.
“It is clearly time to change this. As the largest importer of trophies in the world, the role of the United States in the decline of this species is undeniable, and we must do our part to protect these animals.”
A group of wildlife charities have now begun legal proceedings against the Trump administration in an attempt to force them to act on giraffe extinction.
The Centre for Biological Diversity, Humane Society International, Humane Society of the United States and Natural Resources Defence Council have filed a federal lawsuit that claims that the government failed to respond to a petition that reached the federally-mandated limit at which the government has to respond.
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“The Trump administration would rather allow its rich donors to mount giraffe trophies on their walls than protect giraffes,” said Elly Pepper, deputy director of the Natural Resources Defence Council’s Wildlife Trade Initiative.
“Giraffes are headed toward extinction, in part due to our country’s importation of giraffe parts and trophies. It’s shameful – though unsurprising – that the Interior Department has refused to protect them under the Endangered Species Act, and I hope the courts will agree.”
This is not an anti-Trump article, folks. It’s just a fact that the Trump administration, currently in power, are the only ones who can make a difference on this issue. Let’s hope that they do the right thing, and that this beautiful species can thrive for centuries to come.
Source: GoSocial
