The majestic giraffe, the world’s tallest land mammal and a prime attraction at zoos worldwide, is threatened with extinction because of illegal hunting and a loss of its habitat, according to a report published Thursday by an international monitoring group.

The giraffe population has declined by 40 percent over the past three decades and now stands at about 97,600, according to the findings by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, which designates endangered species.

While the largest giraffe populations reside in national parks and reserves, those protected areas have proved to be inadequate, one of several alarming conclusions about the animals’ future in the group’s latest Red List of Threatened Species report.

“While global attention has been on threats to elephants and rhinos, giraffes have been off the radar, and we’ve been losing them in significant numbers,’’ said Liz Bennett, vice president for species conservation for the Wildlife Conservation Society, which was not involved in the report. “People and governments need to start acting to save giraffes, fast.’’

The animals’ rare size and regal visage have made them a prime target of poachers in Africa, who drop snares from tree canopies or shoot them, wildlife experts say.

One bright spot: The numbers of West African giraffes are on the rise, numbering about 400 now, up from 50 in the 1990s.

New York Times