Mark Stratton: The return of Uganda's giraffes

Uganda may be known for its gorillas, but as the country works on a translocation programme to protect its giraffes, it’s time the world’s tallest animal gets some much-needed attention...

It’s being called a ‘silent extinction’. Not because of the quiet nature of giraffe, but because their decline across Africa is scarcely reported. I tried to imagine a safari without them. Their big eyes and diva eyelashes staring watchful, ready to launch into a slow-motion rocking gallop if I veered too close.

“Most people don’t realise how threatened they are,” said Dr Julian Fennessy, of Giraffe Conservation Foundation. Giraffe have declined by about 30% since the mid-1980s down to around 111,000. Threats include hunting, habitat loss, snares, and the trade of body parts.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species conference last August recognised this concern and upgraded the giraffe on its register to tighten up against illegal and unsustainable trade. Yet they remain in urgent need of our help.

This has become even more pressing, because giraffes are now taxonomically recognised as four genetically distinct species (Maasai, Southern, reticulated and Northern) of which the latter are estimated to number a perilous 5,600 individuals. If you subdivide the northern giraffe into its three recognised subspecies (west African, Kordofan and Nubian) then each of these populations are critically endangered.