Genetic study suggests giraffe species face extinction

BEIJING, Dec. 21 (Xinhuanet) -- A recently-completed genetic study has scientists thinking what was thought to be one species of the world's tallest animal may be six or more, sparking concern that one or more species of giraffe could be on the eve of extinction.

"Some of these giraffe populations number only a few hundred individuals and need immediate protection," said study leader David Brown, a geneticist at the University of California, Los Angeles and an associate with the Wildlife Conservation Society. "Lumping all giraffes into one species obscures the reality that some kinds of giraffe are on the very brink."

Classifying current subspecies as fully fledged species would force a re-examination of conservation initiatives in order to deal with the needs of each separate species of giraffe, according to a WCS statement.

The most threatened potential species are the reticulated giraffe (currently Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata), which is found in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya, this population was estimated at some 27,000 individuals until the 1990s. Poaching and armed conflicts have reduced this group to 3,000 individuals.

Also the Nigerian giraffe (currently Giraffa camelopardalis peralta), which is found in West and Central Africa, and only 160 individuals remain.

The Rothschild giraffe (currently Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi), which was formerly found in western Kenya and Uganda, can only be found in a few protected areas in Kenya and in Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda.

All giraffes are under threat, the researchers said, with the overall population dropping an estimated 30 percent in the past decade to fewer than 100,000 in all of Africa.

The study is detailed in the latest edition of the journal BMC Biology.

(Agencies)