Giraffe Conservation

Giraffe Conservation

Giraffes Endangered

It may surprise you to learn that the giraffe is a protected species throughout most of Africa. While for the most part they have decent numbers that don’t pose a threat there are activists that feel without such conservation that wouldn’t be the case. There are quite a few sanctuaries in Africa where these animals can freely roam without a threat. They have plenty of food and there isn’t a threat of their natural habitat being cleared away by humans for something better. Still, it takes lots of land, money, time, and efforts to get these entities in place. Many of them are there thanks to government grants and private donations.

Many would argue the status of the giraffe and even if you take a look around online it isn’t really understood. Some information lists them as vulnerable while others list them as one of the least likely to disappear animals in all of Africa. It really depends on what you are looking at. Most experts feel that it is important to look well beyond just the number of giraffes out there. What they feel should be looked at is the future for them if what has been going on in the past is allowed to continue.

In many parts of Africa giraffes have been slaughtered in large numbers due to illegal hunting practices. This includes doing so for sport, to sell the hides, and even to consume the meat of these animals. Conservation efforts for them have included getting stricter laws in place. There has been plenty of pressure placed on the governing bodies of Africa for this to be done.

The big problem though is that having such laws in place isn’t enough to rectify the situation. It continues to take place because those laws aren’t strictly enforced and so they don’t serve to deter people from taking part in them. Part of the conservation efforts now include pushing for heavy fines and even jail time for those found to take part in harming or killing giraffes.

One of the concerns though are for the people of Africa that are very poor. They often kill giraffes as a source of food for their people. They don’t do so in large numbers but will take part in it when deemed necessary. Many don’t want to see these people going hungry or to see them prosecuted for attempting to feed their children. That is why many conservation groups are also looking at ways to help them to find alternatives.

One is to bring in more cattle for the people to use for food. However, in the very dry areas it can be difficult to keep those cattle alive. There are times of the year when there isn’t adequate water for them. They also need help on how to properly manage their cattle so that they have enough offspring to continue the operations. There is the concern though that additional animals in the area will mean that other animals have to fight for the grasslands to eat including zebras. There is also a fear that cattle close to the villages will be an open invitation for the predators out there to strike.

While there are quite a few types of conservation in place for the giraffes many feel that the funding and the time should be allocated towards other animals. There are many of them that could be extinct in less than a decade if aggressive efforts aren’t in place to protect them. If you are interested though in protecting giraffes you can find out what programs are available by exploring the internet.