A female Masai giraffe and impala in Nyerere National Park in southern Tanzania. US officials proposed to list the Masai giraffe as a threatened species. (Photo Credits: Andy Soloman/UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

(CNN) — The tallest animal in the world is in trouble.

Giraffe populations are declining at such an alarming rate — from habitat loss, poaching, urbanization and climate change-fueled drought — that US wildlife officials announced a proposal on Wednesday to help protect several of the species.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing many giraffe species as either endangered or threatened. It’s the first time the long-necked mammals, native to Africa, would receive federal protections under the Endangered Species Act.

Declaring a species “endangered” is the most severe level of threat under the law, indicating the species is at immediate risk of extinction. Meanwhile, a species is labeled “threatened” when it is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future.

“Federal protections for giraffes will help protect a vulnerable species, foster biodiversity, support ecosystem health, combat wildlife trafficking, and promote sustainable economic practices,” US Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams said in a statement. “This action supports giraffe conservation while ensuring the United States does not contribute further to their decline.”

The three subspecies of northern giraffe officials are proposing to be listed as endangered include the West African, Kordofan and Nubian giraffes, whose populations have plummeted by roughly 77% since 1985, from 25,653 to 5,919 individuals.

And in East Africa, the agency is proposing to list two subspecies — the reticulated and Masai giraffes — as threatened.

The US has become a significant market for giraffe parts and products, importing nearly 40,000 for at least a decade-long period, a 2018 report showed. American hunters travel to Africa to kill giraffes and bring back body parts — typically the head and neck — as trophies to be mounted on a plaque or walls.

At the same time, wide swaths of Africa has been dealing with more frequent droughts, which have put insurmountable pressure on giraffe populations. Crops have failed, livestock and animals have died and tens of millions of people are desperately in need of food and water.

If finalized, the proposed rule would cut illegal hunting and trade of giraffes by requiring a permit to import their body parts into the US and expand new funding for research and other giraffe conservation efforts.

Environmental groups have been calling on federal officials to declare protections on the species since 2017. The agency will gather public comments on the proposal until February 19, 2025, and expects to finalize it within a year.

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