Giraffes Are Being Killed for Their Tails Documentary filmmaker David Hamlin recalls how excited he was at the sight of three giraffes standing in a small clearing when he was flying over the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Garamba National Park in late June. "Seeing these giraffes from the air was really exciting," says Hamlin, who was working for National Geographic. That's because Garamba is huge, extending over nearly 2,000 square miles of mostly forested land, and it's a rare, lucky event to come across any of its 40 remaining giraffes. But Hamlin's thrill at seeing and photographing the giraffes didn't last long. Twelve hours later, people looking after the national park reported hearing gunshots, and they later discovered three bullet-riddled bodies of dead giraffes in the sun. "It was horrible for me and the team," Hamlin says "to realize that most likely it was these guys, _ we'd seen." Hamlin decided to document the sad event to raise awareness about illegally shooting animals in the park. Garamba is Africa's second oldest national park and has been hit hard by illegal shooting in recent years. Its rhinos have been wiped out, and elephants have suffered huge losses. The same goes for its Kordofan giraffes, one of Africa's nine giraffe subspecies. Fewer than 2,000 now wander central Africa, according to Julian Fennessy, co-director of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation. Garamba's Kordofan giraffes represent the last population in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. "If the number slips in half, then we're in an extremely serious situation," Fennessy says. "Every single giraffe is valuable." Congolese usually kill the giraffes for one body part, their tails, considered a rank symbol in some communities. Meanwhile men from neighboring South Sudan target the giraffes for their meat to feed poor villagers. But the massive bodies (giraffes can grow to 18 feet and weigh up to 3,000 pounds) of these three giraffes were complete -- only the ends of their tails were missing. According to Leon Lamprecht, joint operations director for African Parks, "men use the tail as treasure to the bride's father if they want to ask for the hand of a bride." "What an absolute waste!" Lamprecht says. What did Hamlin decide to do after learning about the event?
Uncover the ancient African traditions and customs. Call on people to protect the habitat of wild animals. Improve people's knowledge of preserving wild animals. Become a volunteer in the animal conservation foundation.