The Fish and Wildlife Service on Tuesday proposed stretching Endangered Species Act protections to cover Africa’s giraffes.
Citing threats posed by poaching, habitat loss and climate change, the agency called for listing three subspecies of northern giraffe as endangered and two species from East Africa as threatened.
“Federal protections for giraffes will help protect a vulnerable species, foster biodiversity, support ecosystem health, combat wildlife trafficking, and promote sustainable economic practices,” FWS Director Martha Williams said in a statement.
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Williams added that “this action supports giraffe conservation while ensuring the United States does not contribute further to their decline.”
