“An orphaned baby reticulated giraffe embraces @r.e.s.c.u.e wildlife keeper Lekupania. This giraffe will be rehabilitated and returned to the wild, as a number of others have done before him. Giraffes are undergoing what has been referred to as a silent extinction. Current estimates of populations across Africa have dropped 40 percent in three decades, plummeting from approximately 155,000 in the late 1980s to under 100,000 today. The decline is thought to be caused by habitat loss and fragmentation and poaching, but with the lack of long-term conservation efforts in the past, it's hard to know exactly. Reticulated giraffe themselves number fewer than 16,000 individuals. Scientists are now undertaking major studies to understand why giraffes are disappearing and what can be done to stop it.”
from https://www.instagram.com/natgeo/, Photo by @amivitale, Follow @amivitale @giraffe_conservation @sdzsafaripark to learn more.