GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. - It turns out that an overlooked beauty, the giraffe have been disappearing under our very nose while we weren't even noticing.
Yes, giraffe are an endangered species, too.
'Silent Extinction' has hit our planet's tallest creatures hard, but it's only gained attention in the last few years.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has just come out with their red list of endangered species. There's good news and bad news about giraffe.
Some species or subspecies are doing much better, like the Angolan subspecies in Namibia & Botswana. But three are listed as critically endangered- especially in the conflict zones of central Africa.
In Namibia, giraffe are doing well. The Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) is the only organization dedicated solely to the giraffe. Dr. Julian Fennessy is the founder of GCF; he decided it was time to "stick his neck out."
"What we want to do is help governments and other communities and private land owners that have giraffe better manage them. So in the future, they [giraffe] don’t decline." Fennessy said. "We have really good partnership with zoos all over the world."
That includes Como Park Zoo. Adam Nigon is a zookeeper at Como who got a chance to be near the wild giraffe population in Africa to see conservation efforts firsthand. Nigon described the process of taking a wild giraffe down in the wild for the purpose of research.
"They're darted with a sedative, then you hope they get a little wobbly and fall down," Nigon said. "With a big rope, stretch it out in front of the giraffe, try and get it to slow down and get them to stop."
Once the giraffe is down, crews work quickly to take measurements, hair samples and other things for projects they're working on. They have to move fast, because even gentle giraffes can be dangerous.
"They have a very powerful kick and they can kick in all four directions. So there's really no safe place to stand around a giraffe," Nigon said. "It’s been said they can kill a lion with one good solid kick."
Fennessy said that part of the conservation effort is putting GPS satellite collars on the giraffe.
"That will be able to follow them around and figure out what’s going, where do they go, what do they eat, what do they do." Fennessy said.
Nigon felt like he was making a difference when near the giraffe in Africa.
"It’s just a tremendous experience to be that close to wild giraffe and to help out with conservation work." Nigon said.
Zoos like Como help to bring awareness to the dwindling giraffe population. Sven invited kids from Eden Lake Elementary to meet the zoo's giraffe and talk about what can be done to save them.
