Giraffe Extinction: Using Science and Technology to Save the Gentle Giants

Quietly, without most people noticing, the population of giraffes in the wild has decreased by nearly 40 percent since 1985. Giraffes have disappeared entirely from seven countries where they used to live. Researchers believe fewer than 98,000 exist in the wild–fewer even than endangered African elephants. In 2016, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature added giraffes to the organization’s Red List of Threatened Species. What is causing their disappearance? Overpopulation of humans in giraffe habitats and illegal poaching. Learn about giraffes’ physical characteristics, habitats, and life cycles; examine the dangers they face from humans and climate change; and meet the scientists working to save these gentle giants using technology and conservation efforts.