Home range and seasonal movements of Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis in the northern Namib Desert
Estimates of home range size of giraffe in the northern Namib Desert were on average larger than those in other populations. In particular, the largest individual home range of any giraffe bull (1950 km2) was recorded – correlated with low population density, reduced forage density and increased searching for receptive cows. The predominant pattern of […]
Home range — body mass relations: a field study on African browsing ruminants
Home range data were collected concurrently from four syntopic browsing ruminant species in a conserved savanna ecosystem. Mean home range areas were: giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) 282 km^2; kudu (Tragelaphus strepciceros) 21.9 km^2; impala (Aepyceros melampus) 5.81 km^2; steenbok (Raphicerus campestris) 0.62 km^2. Home range area (Ahr) scaled on body mass (M) as: Ahr = 0.024 […]
The past distribution of giraffe in KwaZulu-Natal
Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) are though to be introduced aliens in KwaZulu-Natal, an area in which they flourish today. This perception was based on lack of reference to sightings of giraffe in early colonial literature and the lack of giraffe remains in archeological sites within KwaZulu-Natal. We have reviewed the literature and found no reliable reference […]
GIRAFFES
The giraffe, Girafa camelopardalis, is distributed widely in Africa, although in many territories numbers have decreased greatly during the past century. In West Africa, a few are said to live in the Ferlo district, but there are none in Gambia, Sierra Leone or Liberia. In French West Africa, the once extensive range of the giraffe […]
Seasonal movements of giraffes in Niger
The last population of giraffes in west Africa lives in Niger in an unprotected Sahelian region inhabited by farmers and herders. The spatial behaviour of each individual of the population (n = 63) was studied by direct observation during 15 mo. Two-thirds of the population were resident in the tiger bush in the rainy season […]
Social organization and behaviour of giraffe in Tsavo East National Park
Social organization and behaviour of giraffes were studied in Tsavo East National Park, Kenya, by means of road strip counts and observations of individually known animals. Most groups comprised of one to ten animals, with a maximum of thirty‐five and a mean of 3.8. Group size and composition varied locally to some extent. Single adult […]
Range movements of giraffe in the Luangwa Valley, Zambia
The range movements of a small population of giraffe in the Luangwa Valley in eastern Zambia were studied over a period of 4.5 years. The majority of the adults of both sexes were found to move over distances in excess of 40 km though only two, both males, moved farther than 50 km. The average […]
The digestive morphophysiology of wild, free-living, giraffes
We have measured rumen-complex (rumen, reticulum, omasum, abomasum) and intestine (small and large combined) mass in 32 wild giraffes of both sexes with body masses ranging from 289 to 1441 kg, and parotid gland mass, tongue length and mass, masseter and mandible mass in 9 other giraffes ranging in body mass from 181 to 1396 […]
Home ranges, seasonal ranges and daily movements of giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) in northern Botswana
Introduction: Movement studies have been conducted on various giraffe subspecies across different ecological and management environments in Africa. However, prior to recent advancements in technology, studies were limited to identification methods relying on chance encounters of individuals (e.g. Foster, 1966; Berry, 1978; le Pendu & Ciofolo, 1999) and VHF radio-tracking (e.g. Langman, 1973; Dagg & […]
Analysis of Angolan Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis) Post-Translocation Movement Patterns and Implications for Conservation Management in Namibia
Wildlife translocation is a conservation management strategy that has been employed to bolster many diminishing wild animal populations. Giraffe translocations are currently being conducted in Africa, but the consequences of such remain largely unknown. In Namibia, translocations are conducted to re-establish locally extirpated populations or to recover vulnerable ones in and around communal conservancies. This […]