US moves to protect giraffes, proposing crack down on body part imports

The Biden administration has proposed new protections for giraffes, saying it would crack down on imports containing giraffe body parts.

If finalized, a new proposal would require permits to import products containing giraffe parts, which the administration said would reduce illegal hunting and trade.

It also said its draft rule would increase research efforts into giraffe conservation and provide funding for programs that conserve giraffes in countries where they reside.

The proposed rule has a 90-day comment period, so ultimately it will be up to the incoming Trump administration whether to actually move forward with the protections.

It’s not clear whether it would do so, though in 2019, the Trump administration supported a multilateral agreement to protect giraffes at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Over the years, giraffe populations have seen significant declines. Three subspecies have declined by 77 percent since 1985, from 25,653 to 5,919 individual animals.

Animal trade is not considered the main cause of this drop, with factors including poaching, habitat loss and climate-related drought also playing roles.

However, it may be exacerbating the problem, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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