Assessment of giraffe populations and conservation status in East Africa
Populations of giraffes Giraffa camelopardalis are declining in the wild, with some populations having suffered an 80% decline in the past ten years. In comparison to other large African mammals, giraffes have been largely overlooked in terms of research attention and conservation action. In recent years, the extent to which giraffe populations have declined across […]
A conservation assessment of Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa
Taxonomic notes: Currently, nine subspecies classifications have been proposed for Giraffe (Ansell 1972; Dagg & Foster 1982; Kingdon 1997; East 1999; Grubb 2005; Ciofolo & Pendu 2013). There is considerable uncertainty surrounding the geographic and taxonomic limits of all described subspecies (Fennessy et al. 2013). Furthermore, recent genetic work suggests that several subspecies may even […]
Migratory herds of wildebeests and zebras indirectly affect calf survival of giraffes
In long-distance migratory systems, local fluctuations in the predator–prey ratio can exhibit extreme variability within a single year depending upon the seasonal location of migratory species. Such systems offer an opportunity to empirically investigate cyclic population density effects on short-term food web interactions by taking advantage of the large seasonal shifts in migratory prey biomass. […]
Herbivore population crashes and woodland structure in East Africa
Between 1985 and 1991, bush encroachment was serious in Lake Manyara National Park, northern Tanzania. Shrub cover increased by c. 20%. The increase was independent of initial (1985) shrub cover. Since 1987 there has been a steep decline in the number of African elephant in the Park due to poaching. Elephant density decreased from about […]
Quantifying giraffe poaching as population threat
While it is difficult to quantify the real effects of poaching on giraffe populations, what is clear is that the bushmeat trade is thriving globally and it is highly likely that giraffe are affected by this trade. Rowcliffe et al. (2010) estimate that 273 tonnes of bushmeat is imported into Europe alone from Africa each […]
Standing Tall for Giraffes – Research and Conservation of an Overlooked African Icon
Despite being iconically African, the giraffe remains largely understudied in the wild—unlike most of the continent’s other large megafauna. In part, this is because giraffes were not heavily hunted until recently: they don’t produce tusks or horns that are coveted as trophies or medicine and they are not an aggressive species. Sadly, the Giraffe Conservation […]
Consequences of different forms of conservation for large mammals in Tanzania: preliminary analyses
We examined the effects of protection from human activities and effects of tourist hunting on densities of 21 large mammal species in Tanzania. Aerial censuses revealed that mammal biomass per km2 was highest in National Parks. Densities of nine ungulate species were significantly higher in National Parks and Game Reserves than in areas that permitted […]
Densities of mammals in partially protected areas: the Katavi ecosystem of western Tanzania
In Africa the majority of conservation areas sanction some sort of human activities within their borders but few of them are part of community‐based conservation schemes. The effectiveness of these state‐owned, partially protected areas in conserving mammalian fauna is largely unknown. Large and medium‐sized mammal densities in three different sorts of partially protected area were […]
Has the final countdown to wildlife extinction in Northern Central African Republic begun?
The wildlife populations of Northern Central African Republic experienced precipitous declines during the 1970s and 1980s. While anecdotes coming out of the region indicate that the wildlife populations remain under serious threat, little is known about their status. An aerial sample count was carried out in the Northern Central African Republic at the end of […]
Food supply and poaching limit giraffe abundance in the Serengeti
The iconic giraffe, an ecologically important browser, has shown a substantial decline in numbers across Africa since the 1990s. In Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, giraffes reached densities of 1.5–2.6 individuals km-2 in the 1970s coincident with a pulse of Acacia tree recruitment. However, despite continued increases in woody cover between the 1980s and the 2000s, […]