By KENNEDY SENELWA
Masai giraffes, predominantly found in Kenya and Tanzania, are now on the global Red List of endangered species facing extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Scientists.
IUCN said the species has declined by 49 per cent over the past three decades to the current combined population of about 35,000 in Kenya and Tanzania.
The drop in numbers is attributed to reduced habitat caused by rising human population driven by a demand for land for agriculture plus the wanton illegal hunting of the tall iconic animal for meat and body parts.
IVORY
At the same time, Singapore has announced it will ban the domestic trade in ivory from September 2021, shutting the door to an important end-market for poached elephant ivory particularly from Africa.
The international trade in ivory has been banned since 1990 under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), an international treaty signed by most countries. Read more…
