While historically assumed to be one species, through extensive research, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation and our partners have clearly shown that there are four distinct species of giraffe in Africa: Masai, northern, reticulated and southern giraffe, several with seven subspecies.
All four giraffe species and their subspecies occupy distinct geographic areas in Africa, and there are only a total of approx. 117,000 giraffe remaining in the wild.
While hybridization between species has been reported in captivity, recent studies have shown that this is not the case in the wild.
These groundbreaking findings are instrumental in shaping future giraffe conservation strategies throughout the continent.
| Masai giraffe | Giraffa tippelskirchi | 45,400 |
| Luangwa giraffe | G. t. thornicrofti | 650 |
| Masai giraffe | G. t. tippelskirchi | 44,750 |
| Northern giraffe | Giraffa camelopardalis | 5,900 |
| Kordofan giraffe | G. c. antiquorum | 2,300 |
| Nubian giraffe | G. c. camelopardalis | 3,000 |
| West African giraffe | G. c. peralta | 600 |
| Reticulated giraffe | Giraffa reticulata | 15,950 |
| Southern giraffe | Giraffa giraffa | 49,850 |
| Angolan giraffe | G. g. angolensis | 20,200 |
| South African giraffe | G. g. giraffa | 29,650 |
In the BBC documentary “Giraffe: Africa’s Gentle Giants”—featuring GCF’s important work in Africa—Sir David Attenborough referred to this decline as a “Silent Extinction.” These alarming numbers serve as a reminder that we need to protect giraffe now before it is too late.
We envision a world where all giraffe can live wild and free within their historical ranges or habitats throughout Africa and are protected by the people around them.
