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Save Giraffes From Extinction

23,969 signatures toward our 30,000 Goal

79.90% Complete

Sponsor: The Animal Rescue Site

Less than 69,000 mature giraffes remain in the wild, a 40% reduction over the past 30 years. Take a stand for giraffes!

Less than 69,000 mature giraffes remain in the wild, a 40% reduction over the past 30 years. Take a stand for giraffes!

Giraffes have faced great threats in the past few decades, and are being pushed rapidly toward extinction1.

From poaching and habitat loss to climate change, giraffe populations have been in decline since the 1990s2.

Less than 69,000 mature giraffes remain in the wild — a 40% reduction over the past 30 years3.

The United States has contributed to this loss. Products made from giraffe skins and bones continue to flood into the country4.

The U.S. is a top importer and seller of giraffe parts, including heads, feet, tails, legs, and skins5. This greed has also led to rampant trophy hunting and poaching of giraffes all across sub-Saharan Africa6.

Conservationists and related organizations have been pushing to increase giraffe protections for years.

In 2016 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) assessed giraffes as "vulnerable" to extinction and classified two giraffe subspecies as "critically endangered" in 2018 and two more as "endangered" in 2018 and 20196.

In 2019, CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) began regulating international trade in giraffes by requiring export permits7.

In April 2017, the Center for Biological Diversity, Humane Society International, and the Humane Society of the United States filed a petition to request giraffe protections, but the agency missed the legal deadline for a decision8.

The U.S. government is now considering extending protections of the Endangered Species Act to giraffes, bringing imports of giraffe parts down and saving countless giraffe lives. However, the decision deadline is not until 20249.

It may be too late for the giraffe if action is not taken immediately. We must encourage the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to act quickly before the iconic species' numbers dwindle beyond recovery!

Sign the petition and help us ask the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service list giraffes under the Endangered Species Act now!

  1. NRDC (13 August 2019), "Are Giraffes Endangered?"
  2. American Wildlife Foundation, "Giraffe."
  3. The Humane Society of the United States (14 October 2020), "Legal action initiated to speed Endangered Species Act protections for giraffes."
  4. The Animal Reader (14 October 2021), "US demand for giraffe products is part of their decline."
  5. Karen Weintraub, The New York Times (23 August 2018), "Giraffe Parts Sales Are Booming in the U.S., and It's Legal."
  6. All Thats Interesting (19 April 2017), "Giraffes On Way To "Silent Extinction" Due To American Trophy Hunting, Conservationists Say."
  7. Humane Society International (19 April 2017), "Giraffe."
  8. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (2022), "U.S. Endangered Species Act protection sought for giraffes."
  9. Katie Cleary (1 June 2022), "Giraffes Are One Step Closer To Endangered Species Act Protections After The U.S. Government Agrees To Make A Decision By The End Of 2024."
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The Petition:

To the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,

Giraffes are being pushed rapidly toward extinction.

With less than 69,000 mature giraffes remaining in the wild — a 40% reduction over the past 30 years — the need for action is urgent.

The United States has contributed to this loss. The U.S. is a top importer and seller of giraffe parts, including heads, feet, tails, legs, and skins. Products made from giraffe skins and bones continue to flood into our country each year.

Classifying giraffes as endangered and extending them the protections of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) would prohibit this gruesome trade and protect these precious animals.

There is no need to wait until the 2024 decision deadline. Giraffes need protection now. I ask you classify giraffes as endangered, extend to them the protections of the Endangered Species Act, and save them from extinction.

Sincerely,

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Signatures: