Very long legs, tapered neck and unmistakable spots: the giraffe it has always been the most elegant symbol of African fauna. Yet, despite its iconic grandeur, the reality lies behind the largest ruminant animal and, together, the tallest living mammal it’s anything but reassuring.
Giraffes are disappearing, almost in general silence: in thirty years, their population has collapsed by about 40% (IUCN data). Today there are fewer than 100,000 specimens left, indeed fewer than the best-known African elephants. Finally, however, something is starting to move at an international level, and in particular in the United States, where the debate on new federal protections could mark a decisive turning point for the protection of these extraordinary animals.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) proposal, announced in November 2024, seeks to include some subspecies of giraffe in theEndangered Species Act (ESA). If approved, this initiative would impose greater control on imports of parts and derivative products, often made into boots, rugs, book covers and various ornaments, destined for the US market. This is a concrete attempt to curb the impact that trade is having on already harsh populations affected by poaching, habitat loss, political instability and climate change.
That the United States plays a crucial role in the face is no secret. Between 2006 and 2015, approximately 39,516 giraffesdead or alive, entered the country with the stars and stripes, fueling a business little known to the general public. But with the USFWS’s proposal to protect the animal under the ESA, America is likely review your responsibilities when dealing with these animals. The goal is to reduce uncontrolled trade, increase funding for conservation in their places of origin and promote greater awareness of the fate of African giraffes.
These measures have been in the air for some time. Already in 2019, on the occasion of the CITES COP18 (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), governments voted to add giraffes to the list of species protected from trade. However, those guidelines have not demonstrated the desired effectiveness. Today, therefore, we are focusing on the ESA to have concrete protection tools, not only in terms of import bans, but also through investments and incentives for protection in the field.
The picture is complex: at the basis of the decline of giraffes is the growth of the human population which reduces and fragments habitatstransforming them into agricultural land or urban areas. Added to this are climate changes, with increasingly long and severe droughtswhich intensify conflicts between humans and wildlife over the same resources, such as water. Poaching completes the picture, taking individuals away from the remaining populations for meat, skins, bones and trophies destined for international markets. The result is a “silent extinction”: Giraffes are disappearing without causing global alarm comparable to that affecting other famous species.
Environmentalists hail the US proposal as a victory, although it came after years of pressure. Danielle KesslerUS director of IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare), and an active part in the initial proposal, underlines the importance of this step. Protecting giraffes under the ESA means not only defending populations in Africa, but also recognizing and addressing the United States’ disproportionate role in the trade of giraffe products. In his statement, Kessler talks about a potential game-changer to reverse the wreckage and prevent these giant creatures from becoming a thing of the past.
The Fish and Wildlife Service announcement doesn’t affect just one generic giraffe population: three northern subspecies will be listed as “endangered,” while two East African subspecies, the reticulated and Masai, will be “threatened” (threatened). It is estimated that Northern giraffes have lost 77% of their numbers since the 1980swhile the reticulated and Maasai populations have suffered less drastic, but still worrying, declines.
However, it is too early to claim victory. The process of finalizing the rule, with a public comment deadline set for February 2025, coincides with an uncertain political phase and the return to the White House of an administration less sensitive to the environmental cause, and therefore capable of slowing down or canceling the new measures. The hope is that the giraffe, with its transversal popularity, can escape partisan logic and maintain the support of institutions and citizens on both political fronts.
The road is therefore still long, but the Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposal to list giraffes in the Endangered Species Act represents a light at the end of the tunnel. Faced with the unmistakable decline of these gentle giants, the United States is finally choosing to act, reminding the world that action must be taken before it is too late.
