In 2019, Friends of Animals added giraffes to the Big Five African Trophies Act, legislation we drafted and advocated for to ban the sale of their body parts in the state of Connecticut, as well as the trophies of African lions, leopards, elephants and black and white rhinos. The legislation was signed into law in 2021.

We were fed up that U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was dragging its feet in terms of protecting giraffes. Advocacy groups petitioned for federal protections in 2017.

Giraffes currently have no protection under U.S. law, so well-heeled, vainglorious trophy hunting slobs don’t even need a permit to kill them.

We were compelled to make some noise about the silent extinction of giraffes after shocking data was released from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—between 2006 and 2016, the U.S. imported 21,402 bone carvings, 3,008 skin pieces and 3,744 hunting trophies. Unbelievably Americans are buying giraffe products such as Western boots, knives, pillows, rugs and furniture.

In addition to trophy hunting, habitat loss, poaching, climate change, mining and the bushmeat trade have placed giraffes in danger of extinction. The writing was on the wall.

That’s why in 2021 we also filed legal comments with FWS pressing it to place giraffes on the Endangered Species List. So, we were gratified to hear the recent news that FWS is finally proposing federal protections for several giraffe species. The Service’s proposal would list the West African, Kordofan and Nubian giraffes as endangered; the reticulated and Masai giraffes as threatened. It would restrict the import of their parts into the U.S. and increase conservation funding.

However, we are not naïve. We know Trump’s sons have no respect for wildlife and are avid trophy hunters. Who can ever forget the deplorable photo of Donald Jr. proudly holding a dead elephant tail in one hand and a knife in the other.

“Endangered Species Act protection is long overdue and can help curb the trade and import of giraffe ‘trophies’ and parts,” said Jennifer Best, director of FoA’s Wildlife Law Program. “This would be an important step to protecting these remarkable and social animals. Friends of Animals will submit comments supporting a final ESA listing for all giraffes.”

FWS will review and consider all comments received by Feb. 19, 2025, before publishing a final rule by the end of they year. To submit comments, you can go to www.regulations.gov, docket no. FWS-HQ-ES-2024-0157.

Northern giraffes have declined an estimated 77 percent since 1985, the FWS has noted, to 5,919 animals from 25,653. They have vanished completely from numerous countries in West Africa.

Unfortunately, even with endangered species act protections, giraffes would still be able to be killed by trophy hunters, but they would need a permit to do so import any of their parts, just like they do with elephants. The 2016 near total federal ban on commercial trade in elephant ivory still allows Americans to import two elephant trophies per year.

What a disgrace.

In 2021, FoA also filed a rulemaking petition with FWS to stop the importation of the sport-hunted “trophies” of ALL threatened and endangered animals. FoA is poised to file a lawsuit if we don’t receive a response from FWS before the end of the year.

“If the goal of the Endangered Species Act is conservation of species, our regulations should not grant a loophole legalizing the slaughter of the most vulnerable among them and then add insult to injury by permitting the glorification of the killing through the importation of their dismembered body parts,” said Steve Hernick, managing attorney for Friends of Animals Wildlife Law Program.”