Standing between 15 to 20 feet, giraffes are the world’s tallest mammals. Their legs alone can reach over six feet.
While giraffes’ long legs and necks help them spot danger on the African Savanna, their height also makes them noticeable targets for predators–including lions, leopards, hyenas and crocodiles.
But Giraffes’ Number One Predators are Humans!
Habitat and food loss, civil unrest, illegal hunting and human-caused climate change are causing today’s 40% decline in giraffe populations.
Today, giraffes are listed as Vulnerable To Extinction on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
To Save Giraffes We’ve Got To:
• Educate all people on how and why to protect giraffes
• Support sustainable agriculture and settlement practices near giraffe habitats
• Reforest key areas with acacia trees that provide giraffes’ main food source
• Stop the poaching of giraffes for their tails, considered status symbols
• Solve hunger in areas like Sudan where impoverished villagers eat giraffe meat
• Reverse climate change that’s causing rising temperatures and widespread drought in Africa

Did You Know?
Africa consumes a tiny fraction of the world’s fossil fuel, yet it gets much more than its fair share of the negative impacts of climate change. Between its size, vast natural resources, and unique weather patterns, the continent is especially susceptible to the effects of rising temperatures.
Giraffes Live in Harmony and Serve a Vital Role in Ecosystems
Giraffes are vegan. With their long necks they reach leaves, flowers and fruit that most grazing animals can’t. As plants and fruits pass through their digestive systems, they spread seeds that allow plants to germinate. By hosting ticks, giraffes provide food for tick-eating birds. The birds in turn help giraffes by removing the pests.
Giraffes eat more than 100 pounds of leaves per week, traveling far distances to find food. As social animals, they travel peacefully in large herds of mixed ages and genders.
Because giraffes can spot predators such as lions and hyenas from far away, many animals use giraffes as their early warning system. When giraffes start running away, other animals run, too.