Giraffes at risk of "silent extinction," biologists warn [View all]

[Blue Shoes]

The giraffe, the tallest land animal, is now at risk of extinction, biologists say.

Because the giraffe population has shrunk nearly 40 percent in just 30 years, scientists put it on the official watch list of threatened and endangered species worldwide, calling it “vulnerable.” That’s two steps up the danger ladder from its previous designation of being a species of least concern. In 1985, there were between 151,000 and 163,000 giraffes but in 2015 the number was down to 97,562, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/giraffes-at-risk-of-silent-extinction-biologists-warn/

Another iconic species on the cutting block. However, One good thing to come from this may be increased awareness. Sometimes when species everyone is familiar with are on the line, people can rally around changing and saving them.