Warning giraffes suffering 'silent extinction'

Giraffes could disappear from the planet if current rates of extinction continue, it has been warned.

Numbers have declined by 40% since the 1980s in a "silent extinction" driven by illegal hunting and an expansion in farmland in Africa, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said.

It added that drought and climate change are aggravating factors.

• Video report by ITV News Science Correspondent Alok Jha

In their latest global Red List of threatened species, the world's tallest land mammal has been rated as "vulnerable" to extinction based recent trends for the first time.

The IUCN said the plunge in numbers in large parts of sub-Saharan Africa had gone largely unnoticed.

Julian Fennessy, an IUCN giraffe specialist, said: "Whilst giraffes are commonly seen on safari, in the media and in zoos, people – including conservationists – are unaware that these majestic animals are undergoing a silent extinction."

The Red List, the main global authority on risks to animals and plants, said 24,307 of 85,604 species assessed in recent decades were in danger of extinction.

The African gray parrot - known for its skill in mimicking human speech - was rated endangered, one step worse than its earlier category as vulnerable. The worsening plight of the animal was blamed on trapping for the pet trade.

The list also found that 11% of more than 700 other species of bird newly assessed were at risk of extinction.