On July 11, 2019, the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) announced that the Masai Giraffes are now listed on the endangered list. The subspecies are commonly found in Kenya and Tanzania.

Researchers said that the population of the giraffes went down after poaching and changes in land use.

According to the IUCN, there are around 35,000 Masai Giraffes remaining in the wild.

According to a report that was released by National Geographic, the entire giraffe population of Africa has decreased by almost 40 percent.

Tanya Sanerib, the international legal director for the Center of Biological Diversity, said that the report should serve as a “wake-up call” for everyone.

During an interview with National Geographic, she said “This was devastating news…It really sounds the alarm bell.”

Tanya added, “It really indicates that we need to be doing more for giraffes internationally and with whatever tools are available.”

Giraffes, the man species, which are called as Giraffa camelopardalis, are currently included in the Red List of IUCN and is being labeled as “Vulnerable”.

As of now, there are 9 known subspecies in Giraffes, the Masai, and the Reticulated Giraffes are listed as endangered and the Kordofan and the Nubian Giraffes are currently labeled as critically endangered species.

Poaching in Kenya and Tanzania is illegal, but the poor animals are killed for their tails, meat, hide, and bones.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature claims that 2-10 percent of Giraffes are poached in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.

The increased demand for tail-hair jewelry and bone carvings led to the increased poaching of the animals. The Tanzanian media also reports that many people believe that the bone marrow and brains of giraffes can cure AIDS and HIV.

The co-founder and the co-director of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, a non-profit group, Julian Fennessy, said, “They’re the forgotten megafauna, so to speak.”

Julian added, “They’ve sort of slipped away, sadly, while more attention has been given to elephant, rhino, lion, and other species.”

The population of the Giraffes also decreased due to the growth of the human population which caused expansion and usage of the wildlands.