Everyone knows giraffes. They’re one of the go-to animals when you think of the African savannah along with lions and elephants. But what most people don’t know is that giraffes are officially listed as critically endangered in the wild. Like many species in the African savannah, their population is suffering from many different factors including illegal hunting and loss of habitat.

Fig. 1 Giraffe in the Wild

In the past three decades, we have lost over 40% of the giraffe population, leaving us with under 100,000 still left in the wild across all of Africa. The main reason for this sharp decline is the habitat loss giraffes have been facing. As human development continues to increase, giraffe populations are being cut off from one another and slowly separated into little colonies, instead of the huge groups of them that used to wander the plains. Much of the African savannah is becoming used for farming and ranching as well as for the growing charcoal industry there. These developments might greatly benefit the people living in this area, but they are causing devastation to many species who are struggling with the drastic loss of habitat. The inbreeding caused by the separation of the giraffe population has also caused new diseases in the animals, leading to potentially shortened lifespans and even further issues.

Fig. 2 Giraffe Mother with Baby

As with many large mammal species, poaching is also a huge issue causing population decline. Like I have discussed before with the Amur Tiger and the Cheetah, poachers target “exotic” animals to sell in different countries where the animal is not found. Online and even in places in the United States, people buy products like giraffe rugs and giraffe bones used as knife handles, all of which were legally obtained because the United States government hasn’t officially designated poached giraffe parts as illegal to bring into the country, unlike some other animal parts.

Trophy hunting is also a large issue in Africa at the moment. Many foreign hunters visit the African savannah and are proud of the “large kill” they make on an animal such as the giraffe, not realizing that they are helping cause the decline in the population of such an important animal.

So many of the animal species that people love are slowly going extinct, and if we don’t do anything about it, the situation is only going to get even worse. Species go extinct every single day, most of which are still undiscovered when they disappear off the face of the Earth forever, and many of the ones we cherish in our lives are suffering as well. Personally, hearing about these animals and knowing that humans are one of the direct causes of their population declines is the reason I want to pass on this knowledge to other people to raise awareness of the damage we have done before it’s too late.

Everyone loves sea turtles. It seems like all people talk about nowadays is “save the sea turtles” when using metal straws instead of plastic. Its time to dive back under the sea with this critically endangered animal: the Hawksbill Sea Turtle. The hawksbill is found in the ocean in tropical areas, with subspecies in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Their habitat mostly consists of coral reefs, and they feed off of the sponges growing there. They also eat sea anemones and jellyfish around the reefs. Sea turtles, not just this species, are extremely vital to the coral reef ecosystem because once they eat the sponges off of the surface, reef fish have better spots to feed, benefitting the entire ecosystem. Turtles don’t only have significance in the ecosystem, but they also have great importance to people around the world as well. Sea turtles have significance in many native populations around the globe, and today serve as a strong source of tourism in these areas. Without the turtles, many communities would lose a vital source of income.

Fig. 1 Hawksbill Sea Turtle

These are great and all, but the important point is that Hawksbill Sea Turtles have become critically endangered. One of my previous posts covered the dying coral reefs, and this was bound to have affected the sea turtle populations as well. This has had an effect on the turtles, but what’s causing them the most harm by far is humans. Coastal development has ruined the nesting sites of these turtles by either completely destroying them, or altering them in a way that the turtles are unlikely to return.

Hawksbill sea turtles are extremely easily caught in fishing nets, and because they need to periodically go to the surface to breathe, once they are caught, many drown. Since the fishing industry in many areas is continuing to increase in productivity, more and more of these turtles are suffering because they can’t get unhooked from these lines and nets in time.

Fig. 2 Hawksbill Sea Turtle 2

There is also the issue of the illegal wildlife trade. Even though there are many laws in many countries protecting this endangered turtle, their shells still sell for big prices in the illegal trade. The shell of the hawksbill is a unique brown and yellow, making it ideal for illegal makers of ornaments and jewelry. There is also a popular trade in Hawksbill eggs, which are seen as a delicacy in some places.

This amazing turtle species is under direct threat by humans, and personally I see this as an issue. People constantly talk about plastic straws as the cause of declining turtle populations, but there are also some very large issues at hand. From the destruction of nesting sites to fishing mishaps to illegal traders, the turtle population is at one of its worst declines.