Giraffes Facing Silent Extinction

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Giraffes Facing Silent Extinction.

A drop of nearly 40% over a 30-year span according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature is substantial, considering that that is just within a generation. With the rapid loss of their African habitat and the increasingly rampant ongoing poaching, giraffes would likely be extinct in the next 50 years or so. Their ability to replace themselves seems slim as a female giraffe reproduces on average one single calf, twins are rare, with gestation periods of between 400 to 460 days. Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda seems to be where most poaching were carried out, whereas Niger’s attempt at preserving its West African subspecies has been fairly successful; rebounding from 50 animals in the 1990s to around 400 today.

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http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-38240760