Washington, DC - The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) proposed on Wednesday that giraffes should be added to the endangered species list due the alarming rate at which their populations are declining.

On Wednesday, the FWS used a mechanism in the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to propose the listing of various giraffe species as either endangered or threatened, a move considered to be a world-first for the animals.

Giraffes have been declining in numbers due to a combination of poaching, habitat loss, and climate change over four decades.

Since 1985, populations of the West African, Kordofan, and Nubian giraffe species have declined by approximately 77%, pushing them into the range the FWS would consider "endangered."

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Having been listed as endangered or threatened, giraffe species would receive federal protection.

Under the ESA, if an animal is endangered, the likelihood is high that it could face future extinction.

The FWS said that by classifying various giraffe species as endangered it would be able to reduce illegal hunting and trade, increase funding for conservation, and provide financial systems to assist in the preservation of giraffes.

They identified the primary threat to giraffes as being human population growth and the subsequent habitat loss and degradation that comes with it.

"Federal protections for giraffes will help protect a vulnerable species, foster biodiversity, support ecosystem health, combat wildlife trafficking, and promote sustainable economic practices," FWS director Martha Williams was cited as saying in a press release.

"This action supports giraffe conservation while ensuring the United States does not contribute further to their decline."