There are roughly 2,000 wild Kordofan giraffes left in Central Africa. This rare giraffe subspecies is being unfairly targeted by poachers for one main reason: its tail.
Kordofan giraffe tails are considered status symbols, that are sometimes converted into fly whisks. Leon Lamprecht, joint operations director for African Parks, tells National Geographic that the giraffe tails are used "as a dowry to the bride’s father if they want to ask for the hand of a bride.”
Furthermore, African giraffe populations have dropped a drastic 40 percent since 2001, and there are approximately 90,000 giraffes left. Giraffes continued to be threatened by habitat degradation, poaching, growing human populations, oil exploration, fuel wood collecting and drought.
Sign and share this petition urging central African leaders to protect the last remaining 2,000 wild Kordofan giraffes.
Photo Credit: Gareth Jones