A limited number of legal and regulated giraffe hunts take place in some range states, with about 300 giraffes per year (<0.4% of the estimated population) imported into the United States from three countries: Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Giraffes are very charismatic and popular, and in recent years there have been several high-profile attack campaigns on social media against giraffe hunters. Recently, several West African countries and Kenya have proposed adding giraffes to Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). While inclusion in the list does not prevent legal hunting or the import of trophies, it increases the monitoring burden for range states and leads to stricter export controls. These gentle giants are docile by nature, but defend themselves when attacked with their front legs. Man and lion are their only real predators and due to its size, the lion may be struck to death if it decides to attack. When hunting giraffes, the approach can be very difficult due to the terrain they are in. This animal has exceptionally sharp eyesight, sharp hearing and a very cautious disposition – all this, combined with its size, definitely gives it the advantage, and not the hunter. Three years ago, the coalition asked the USFWS to list giraffes as threatened by ESA, but the agency did not respond, despite being legally required to do so within a year, HSUS staff member Laura Smythe told Mongabay in an email. The groups first filed a lawsuit against the USFWS in 2018, prompting the agency to say giraffes might be eligible for ESA protection — but no further action has been taken, according to HSUS. Tess Thompson Talley, a 37-year-old woman from Kentucky, is facing backlash after shooting an elderly male giraffe on a hunting trip to South Africa.
The trip took place last summer, but a photo of Talley posing with the animal`s body recently went viral on social media, based on a Facebook post she made last year that has since been deleted. Fennessy says conservation groups` efforts to protect giraffes through ESA could support global conservation efforts. A giraffe trophy costs about 4000 US dollars. A giraffe can be added to any of our hunting trip packages in Africa. The controversial trophy hunting enterprise, where hunters pay for permission to shoot rare animals, brings in large sums of money. It is often justified by claims that the money raised by hunters is reinvested in animal welfare. South Africa`s big game industry – from hunting to ranching to tourism – is worth $2 billion a year. CITES listing is intended to be a regulatory mechanism for species for which legal trade poses a significant threat. All available evidence suggests that this is not the case for giraffes; Indeed, capacity building related to legal hunting (e.g. anti-poaching efforts) has likely contributed to population growth in range states where it occurs.
The IUCN lists nine giraffe subspecies, of which four are increasing, four are declining and one is stable. Interestingly, the two subspecies that inhabit countries where legal hunting is well developed (including giraffe hunting) – the Angolan giraffe and the South African giraffe – have more than doubled in population size since the 1970s and 1980s (from a combined population of 23,000 to over 50,000). In contrast, recent dramatic declines have occurred among Nubians (from over 20,000 around 1980 to less than 1,000 in 2015), Maasai (over 65,000 to 30,000) and reticulated giraffe subspecies (from about 40,000 in 1990 to 8,600 in 2016) inhabiting East African countries (Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia) where legal hunting is not allowed. 15. In October, a coalition of groups, including the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the Humane Society International (HSI) and the Center for Biological Diversity, filed a letter of intent to sue the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The federal agency is responsible for managing wildlife and natural habitats, but the groups say they are not protecting giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) through the country`s Endangered Species Act (ESA). Giraffes can be found all over South Africa. Their preferred habitat is dry forests or low shrubs. Giraffes have a special fondness for spiny acacias, so this would be a good place to start a stem. Their 18-inch long and hard tongue helps them eat leaves six feet above the ground to fifteen feet. They do not have to live near water and are not territorial animals. With eyes high on most trees and brush and good hearing, giraffes have perfect control of the environment.
These factors can make a rod difficult. In response to the uproar over his photo, Thompson released a statement to CBS News. “It`s called conservation through game management,” she said, explaining that the giraffe she hunted was old and prone to attacks on young giraffes. “Now that the giraffe is gone, the young bulls can breed.” Hunters can combine their trophy hunt with a management hunt consisting of non-trophy and slaughter animals, for more details click here. Although it is legal to hunt the following species in Namibia with the appropriate permit, the United States does not allow the importation of cheetahs, black-faced impalas, and brown hyenas. There are many calibers suitable for giraffe hunting in South Africa. Almost any rifle from a 30-06 will do. Because of the size of the animal, a good .375, like the .375 H&H, or something in the 40s, would be a better choice. Whichever caliber you choose, it is much more important that you know the rifle and can place a shot accurately. Giraffe was even done with a handgun – sure, it was a Smith and Wesson 500 firing a 500-grain bullet, but he got the job done. What kind of ammunition for what kind of animal has been discussed since the muzzle-loading black powder days, and this will be debated for a long time in the future.
