Africa current event

 Giraffes now rarer than elephants

Giraffes are the tallest animals in the world. In 1985, there were between 151,000 and 163,000 giraffes. But in 2015 the number was down to 97,562. The giraffe population has shrunk nearly 40 percent in just 30 years.The giraffe is the only mammal whose status changed on the list. Scientists are blaming habitat loss."Everyone assumes giraffes are everywhere," said Fennessy. Fennesy is the co-director of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation. But they're not, Fennessy said. Until recently, biologists hadn't done a good job assessing giraffes' numbers and where they can be found. The giraffes have been lumped into one broad species instead of nine separate subspecies.

Why some hurricanes linger

Hurricane Jose is pushing the two-week mark as it meanders off the U.S. East Coast.Harvey formed and then it died. And then it came back to life as a major hurricane.This hurricane season is showing how wild and varied storms' life cycles can be.Most storms seem to be tracked for days while others appear to pop out of nowhere. And some just linger around.

Health of world's last male northern white rhino in decline

The health of the world's last male northern white rhino has gotten worse. This brings the rhino subspecies a step closer to extinction caused by poaching.The 45-year-old rhino is named Sudan. He is listed as "The Most Eligible Bachelor in the World."He lives with the last two female northern white rhinos.Sudan appeared to recover well from an infection that developed on his back right leg. That was at the end of 2017.Sudan arrived at Ol Pejeta from a Czech zoo in 2009. He came with the females, Najin and Fatu. They came along with a second male from the same subspecies that has since died.African rhinos remain under intense pressure from poachers who kill them to meet demand for their horns in illegal markets.There are about 5,000 critically endangered black rhinos.In Asia, the greater one-horned rhino species has been recovering and has a population of several thousand.