Hyderabad: World Giraffe Day is an annual event initiated by GCF (Giraffe Conservation Foundation) to celebrate the tallest animal on the longest day or night of the year on 21 June every year. The date of June 21, the longest day or night of the year depending on the hemisphere, symbolically represents the long neck of the giraffe.
History of World Giraffe Day
World Giraffe Day was started by the GCF to raise awareness about the protection of this amazing animal. The day was dedicated to the quirky creatures, i.e., giraffes worldwide. In 2016, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the status of giraffes was changed to "least concern to vulnerable".
The number of giraffes dropped by 36-40 per cent from between 151,702-163,452 in 1985 to 97,562 in 2015. A significant decline has also been observed in the Masai giraffe, one of the nine subspecies. The extinction of giraffes will be a significant loss for the wildlife. Not only as it’s a friendly animal but as it is an inspiration for everyone. Its fabulous appearance, muscular body, and how it survives in wildlife inspire everyone to be strong in every situation.
Hence, GCF took the initiative to celebrate World Giraffe Day on June 21.
Purpose of World Giraffe Day
The primary purpose of World Giraffe Day is to provide a platform for the celebration and conservation of one of Africa's most iconic species. The day serves to shed light on the challenges giraffes face in the wild, including habitat loss, poaching, disease, and climate change. Despite their iconic status and popular appeal, giraffes have quietly slipped into the list of threatened species, with some subspecies now listed as 'Critically Endangered' on the IUCN Red List. This unfortunate circumstance, often referred to as the 'silent extinction', is one of the key messages conveyed during World Giraffe Day.
Fascinating Facts About Giraffes
- There are four distinct species of giraffe: Northern giraffe, Southern giraffe, Reticulated giraffe and Masai giraffe
- Just like human fingerprints, no two giraffes have the same coat pattern
- The giraffe is the tallest mammal in the world. Even newborn giraffes are taller than most humans
- Giraffes have lost almost 90 per cent of their habitat in the last 300 years
- For every four elephants, only one giraffe remains in the wild in Africa—a drop of approximately 30 per cent in the last three and a half decades
- Giraffes can live to about 25 years old in the wild
How many giraffes are left?
In the wild, there are about 117,000 total remaining giraffes. However, the populations of some subspecies are dwindling dangerously close to extinction. Here’s how many of each type of giraffe are left, as of the most recent assessments:
- 45,400 Masai giraffes
- 11,048 reticulated giraffes
- 10,173 Angolan giraffes
- 1,400 Kordofan giraffes
- 1,399 Rothschild’s giraffes
- 455 Nubian giraffes
- 425 West African giraffes
- 420 Thornicroft’s giraffes
Which African Country has the Most Giraffes?
Namibia and South Africa have the largest populations of giraffes. A study by researchers in Southern Africa cites around 70 per cent of the giraffe’s population lies outside government-managed protected areas.
Why do poachers target giraffes?
Poachers target giraffes for their bones. There’s a significant amount of international trade in carvings and trophies made from giraffe bones. At least 3,751 individual giraffes were killed to trade the nearly 40,000 items imported by the US. This included 21,402 bone carvings, 3,008 skin pieces, and 3,744 hunting trophies. In 2019, giraffes were finally given protection from trade under CITES.
Giraffe Population in India
About 150 years ago, British colonialists brought batches of what they thought were a single species of the northern giraffe to India, from their other colonial possessions in Africa. These now comprise a captive population of 29 individuals of northern giraffes across the country. According to genealogical study of the largest captive herd in India at the Alipore Zoological Garden in Kolkata has confirmed that the individuals in this facility, at least, are most likely "critically endangered" Nubian giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis) or the endangered Rothschild giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi).
Giraffe Conservation Strategies
National Giraffe Conservation Strategies and Action Plans
GCF works closely with governments, NGOs and academic partners throughout Africa to secure a sustainable future for all giraffe populations in the wild. Giraffes currently range across 21 countries and isolated ranges in West, Central, Eastern and Southern Africa. Strategy development starts with collaborative discussions that lead to a targeted workshop involving all national and international stakeholders. In these workshops, the participants collate all available information on giraffes in the country or region, also in consideration of the continent-wide context, as well as identify knowledge gaps and threats to giraffes.
Giraffe Conservation Science Symposium
In May 2018, 35 experts working directly on giraffes or in thematic areas relevant to conservation-based decision-making from NGOs, academia, and African governments came together to develop a unifying Africa-wide Giraffe Conservation Science Management Framework. During this first-ever Giraffe Conservation Science Symposium, the group identified key gaps for further assessment as well as opportunities for developing partnerships and working collaboratively across Africa to help save giraffes before it is too late. In May 2019, several of these experts came together again to review the activities so far and make further plans for the future.
