Giraffe: Critically Endangered Species
According to a study, the Giraffes brought to India by Britishers may be a critically endangered species. Giraffes were brought to India 150 years ago from Africa.
- A ‘genetic distance analysis’ of giraffes in Alipore showed that they were most closely related to Nubian and Rothschild giraffes.
- About 150 years ago, batches of single species of the ‘Northern Giraffe’ were brought to India by British colonists from their other colonial possessions in Africa. Now out of these 29 captive ‘Northern Giraffes’ are left across the country.
- The ‘Northern Giraffe’ is an exotic species that was imported to India. The protocols issued for the management of their population were different than those of the native animals of the country. Wild ‘giraffes’ are found only in sub-Saharan Africa.
Nubian Giraffes: This is a subspecies of giraffe. Its habitat is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Sudan. This subspecies was listed as ‘critically endangered’ by the IUCN in 2018 for the first time due to a 95% decline over the past 3 decades.
Rothschild’s Giraffe: Also known as the Baringo giraffe, it is seen in the wild near Lake Baringo in Kenya. Its habitat is found in the desert and savanna plains of Africa, mainly in eastern Uganda and western Kenya. IUCN Status: Endangered.
Source – The Hindu
