Giraffes threatened by extinction

Poaching, habitat destruction and conflict the drivers blamed for loss

LOISABA, Kenya - For most of his life as a Samburu warrior, Lesaiton Lengoloni thought nothing of hunting giraffes, the graceful giants so common a feature of the Kenyan plains where he roamed.

"There was no particular pride in killing a giraffe, not like a lion. ... (But) a single giraffe could feed the village for more than a week," the community elder said, leaning on a walking stick and gazing out to the broad plateau of Laikipia.