An international wildlife group revealed that the African giraffe species is soon to be extinct. Their initial investigation found that the species' population dropped by 40 percent in the last 15 years due to poaching and hunting.
"It's a silent extinction," Dr. Julian Fennessy, executive director of the Namibian-based Giraffe Conservation Research group and a leading wildlife scientist with 16 years of experience, told ABC News.
To date, the population of giraffes declined from 140,000 15 years ago to 80,000.
Experts clarified that giraffes are becoming extinct not solely due to human activities, but also because of "habitat loss and fragmentation," as most of the lands are being used for agriculture, ABC News reported.
"But poaching has big impact on certain areas, especially in East and Central Africa," Fennessy added.
Giraffes are being hunted for their skin, which can be used to create clothing items and accessories. Giraffe brains and bone marrow are also said to be used for treatments in HIV/AIDS patients. Not many people pay attention to these illegal activities because they are so abundant.
"Giraffes are everywhere. Look at kids' books, which are full of giraffes. They're always in zoo collections. They're easily visible, so you don't think we have to worry about them," David O'Connor, research coordinator with the San Diego Zoo's Institute for Conservation Research, told Scientific American.
The giraffe population can be found in 21 countries. They are herbivores so their diet is restricted to plants only. It takes 3 to 6 years before calves become fully mature and are ready for reproduction. Experts say that their life expectancy is only 20 years, according to LiveScience.
The Giraffe Conservation Research group will publish the results of their comprehensive assessment of the giraffe population by next year. They didn't state if there are plans to recommend the species to be listed as an endangered species.
