"In less than a month, we have recorded two giraffe deaths linked to poaching," Colonel Malam Issa, who heads Niger's environment and wildlife efforts, told AFP.

One of the giraffes had its foot "completely broken" after stepping into a trap, and the other had a foot tendon "systematically cut", Issa said.

"These are the first cases of poaching since we started tracking these giraffes 20 years ago," said Omer Dovi from the Association to Safeguard the Giraffes of Niger (ASGN).

Niger's public television on Sunday broadcast pictures of a government mission aimed at raising awareness of the new threat in areas inhabited by the giraffes.

The West African Giraffe is considered an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with a population of under 200, though its numbers are rising due to conservation efforts.

earlier related report
Hundreds of animals die in Indonesian zoo
Surabaya, Indonesia (AFP) Aug 16, 2010 - Neglect and infighting between the management of Indonesia's largest zoo cost the lives of hundreds of animals, including a rare Sumatran tiger over the weekend, an official said Monday.

"The deaths of the animals were a result of neglect in the zoo as the officials were busy fighting over who would manage the facility," Surabaya zoo's interim management member Tony Sumampau told AFP.

A 20-year-old critically endangered Sumatran tiger died on Saturday. A lioness died on Wednesday and female Papuan kangaroo two days earlier.

Between June and August alone, 20 animals died from illnesses and poor living conditions such as overcrowded cages, he said.

"In January, 13 baby Komodo dragons died due to overcrowded cages and lack of sunlight," he said.

Sumampau recorded 362 animal deaths in 2008, and 327 last year, attributing the majority to treatable illnesses including pneumonia, diarrhoea and malnutrition.

Thousands of animals in the zoo are languishing in cramped and dirty cages, he said.

Due to internal conflicts, the zoo's management had not renovated the cages for about 20 years, although the government allocated billions of rupiah annually for the zoo's upkeep, Sumampau said.

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