Author Archives: kaitlyn le

Giraffes: The Massive Extinction that Nobody Knows

A Beloved Animal Lost Forever

Source: David Orgel, Giraffe, 2006. https://www.flickr.com/photos/orgel/2208083592/. All Creative Commons.

When most people think of the African Savanna, they imagine a beautiful grassland filled with lions, elephants, zebras, cheetahs, and, of course, giraffes. But what if I told you that giraffes are going extinct?

In the past three decades, the giraffe population has fallen by an enormous 40%. Currently, there are less than 100, 000 left in the world, and what few do remain, exist in vulnerable and fragmented herds, facing constant threats from habitat loss and poaching.

Giraffes overall are only categorised as a vulnerable species – meaning they are in threat of extinction for the not-immediate, but foreseeable future. However, scientists agree that giraffes are indeed endangered and face imminent extinction if nothing is done.

These numbers only get more daunting when looking at the individual subspecies. Two of the nine subspecies – Kordofan and Nubian giraffes –  are considered critically endangered with population decreases of 90% and 98%, respectively. Similarly, the Reticulated Giraffe is considered endangered – a step up from critically endangered but still facing immediate extinction. Startlingly, the West African Giraffe was saved from the brink of extinction with only 49 members still living in the 1990’s. Today the West African Giraffe has been moved to the vulnerable category despite only having 600 members total in its population.

The most heartbreaking part of this story is that the reason for this drastic decline is entirely man-made. Experts say that what is driving this beautiful species to extinction is the combined effects of habitat loss and poaching.

Source: Frapelo, Giraffe, 2009. https://www.flickr.com/photos/frapelo/3823053523/. All Creative Commons.

The encroachment of humans onto giraffe zones has begun to drive out the animals from their natural habitat, and this new contact between giraffes and humans has been harmful to both species. Giraffes have been known to die in car accidents or starve from loss of food sources.

On top of this, many poachers have been killing these protected animals for their hides, meat, and bones, making luxury crafts or medicines from the various parts. Some giraffes are even being killed for their tails alone, which are seen as a status symbol.

Thankfully, there is some hope. Conservationists have been working tirelessly to save each of these subspecies, and so far, they have been successful in this tiresome fight. However, education needs to be there.

Source: Lisa, Giraffe, 2005. https://www.flickr.com/photos/ljb/32340548/. All Creative Commons.

Most people are aware of the extinction faced by elephants, rhinoceroses, and other megafauna, largely due to the media attention those cases receive. Giraffes, on the other hand, have not received that same kind of media highlighting, resulting in what some are deeming a “silent extinction”. Experts say this is because of the common misconception that because an animal is often seen in zoos and sanctuaries, it must be under no threat in the wild. In fact, there are fewer giraffes than there are elephants.

Through awareness and understanding, groups like the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC) have managed to put in place policies protecting giraffes. Through more efforts, we may be able to see this species safe and stable.

 

Written by Kaitlyn Le

Stem Cell Therapies Banned by Health Canada

Indiscriminate bans could lead to patients being left with no options for their pain.

Source: Amaregenmed, Injection knee ama regenerative medicine, 2018. 1,920 × 1,080 (1.07 MB). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Injection-knee-ama-regenerative-medicine.jpg#file (accessed September 23, 2019).

In May 2019, over three dozen clinics across British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec were ordered by Health Canada to cease and desist offering unapproved stem cell therapies. While this may seem like a reasonable regulation to prevent untested medical treatments being used on unsuspecting patients, many clinics, like Toronto PRP and Stem Cell, say that this ban is too broad and denies patients access to well-documented successful treatments.

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The above video by the DISC Spine Institute – Dallas explains what adult stem cells are and how they can be harnessed for stem cell therapies.

Adult stem cell therapies have been shown in multiple studies to be effective for joint, ligament, and tendon injuries, such as osteoarthritis. Additionally, many patients who have undergone these “unapproved” stem cell therapies have noticed greater range of motion, less pain, and more functional abilities. With the new regulations, all similar treatments, except for certain blood cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma, would only be available to a select few patients through clinical trials.

This ban does not come without good cause, however. Many private clinics have been advertising stem cell therapies as the ultimate panacea, offering it as a treatment for autism, multiple sclerosis (MS), ALS, and even hair-loss, when there have been no studies to prove their effectiveness in these conditions. Additionally, the nature of these therapies, while leading to long-term improvements, could also lead to long-term threats for those seeking these treatments. Health Canada states that many risks, such as infection by bacteria and viruses, patient cross-contamination, and even tumour formation, have been observed in unapproved stem cell therapies.

There is also a more sinister aspect to these unproven medications. Due to the thousands of dollars each stem cell therapy costs, there is a high risk of financial exploitation. Many private clinics who are capitalizing on the clout of a cure-all miracle drug are using stem cells for absolutely untested treatments, and gaining up to $15 000 per treatment. These sorts of advertisements depend upon the desperation of the sick and disabled and their families to make their living, and most doctors agree it has to stop.

At the end of the day, many believe that Health Canada had to do something about the unregulated use of stem cell therapies across Canada. However, there is also worry that those desperate enough to pay the high fees for these treatments would be willing to go to less safe clinics outside of Canada to undergo these treatments anyways. By slowly implementing restrictions, instead of this broad ban, Health Canada could have avoided this issue, as well as prevented the denial of viable treatments to patients in need.

Written by Kaitlyn Le