Hunters criticised for killing giraffes It beggars belief some people find it acceptable to kill them to have their picture with the dead animal. Africa's giraffe population is understood to have nearly halved since 1988 - falling from more than 140,000 to fewer than 80,000. They are now thought to be extinct in places such as Angola, Mali and Nigeria. But in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe it is still legal to hunt them. The owner of one South African hunting firm, who refused to be named, defended the killings. He told The Sun: "These are legal hunts, by professionals on private land. There will always be emotion from people who are not hunters when they see dead animals, but these are very regulated practises. Rhino and other animals have been saved through conservation and the most money for conservation is generated from hunting. Dr Fennessy has controversially argued in favour of hunting. He said: "In the countries where you can hunt legally, the populations are increasing but across Africa the numbers are dropping. It shows that if properly managed, the hunting can be sustainable.