Giraffe and okapi: Africa’s forgotten megafauna
The Giraffidae family includes only two living species of ungulates: the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) and the okapi (Okapia johnstoni), both restricted to the African continent. Taxonomically, the Giraffa and Okapia genera separated from each other approximately 16 million years ago (Hassanin et al., 2012), and they now exhibit as many differences as similarities. Today Okapia […]
A survey of wildlife populations at Wassaniya forest reserve in Sokoto State, Nigeria
A survey of wildlife populations was conducted between May to September 2009, at Wassaniya forest reserve between Tangaza and Gudu Local Government Areas of Sokoto State, Nigeria. The study area was purposively divided into four main plots based on vegetation density and human interference. Three sample plots each measuring 0.5 ha were randomly selected and […]
Examining disease prevalence for species of conservation concern using non-invasive spatial capture–recapture techniques
on‐invasive techniques have long been used to estimate wildlife population abundance and density. However, recent technological breakthroughs have facilitated non‐invasive estimation of the proportion of animal populations with certain diseases. Giraffes Giraffa camelopardalis are increasingly becoming recognized as a species of conservation concern with decreasing population trajectories across their range in Africa. Diseases may be an […]
Automated species identification for camera trapping in the Iona Skeleton Coast Trans-Frontier Conservation Area
The Iona Skeleton Coast Trans-Frontier Conservation Area (TFCA), straddling the border between Angola and Namibia, has suffered through decades of civil war and poaching. While this history has been detrimental to the community of large mammals in the TFCA, data collected on the mammal populations are insufficient to enable effective management. Survey methods such as […]
Cameras replace human observers in multi-species aerial counts in Murchison Falls, Uganda
Wildlife counts in Africa and elsewhere are often implemented using light aircraft with ‘rear-seat-observer’ (RSO) counting crews. Previous research has indicated that RSOs often fail to detect animals, and that population estimates are therefore biased. We conducted aerial wildlife surveys in Murchison Falls Protected Area, Uganda, in which we replaced RSOs with high-definition ‘oblique camera […]
A study of animal movement in the Hoanib River catchment, northwestern Namibia
Seasonal movements of domestic stock and wildlife were analysed across the Hoanib River catchment. Data were gathered by ground and aerial surveys and represent the seasonal movement of animals, rather than the total number of animals in the catchment area. Domestic stock movement and distribution did not vary substantially and appeared to be associated with […]
The impact of nutrition on the development of urolithiasis in captive giraffes and meat goats
Obstructive urolithiasis is a documented problem in domestic ruminants, such as the meat goat, and also in captive giraffe. A survey of the health history, feeding practices, and dietary contents in captive giraffes in North America was conducted to examine the possible connection between diet and the development of urolithiasis. Samples of urine, serum and […]
Precision, accuracy, and costs of survey methods for giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis
Giraffes Giraffa camelopardalis are megafaunal browsers and keystone species in African savanna ecosystems. Range-wide population declines are suspected, but robust data are lacking. Tanzania holds the largest population of giraffe of any range state, and aerial surveys constitute most of Tanzania’s giraffe population monitoring data, but their accuracy has not yet been assessed. An IUCN […]
Quantifying the ecological success of a community-based wildlife conservation area in Tanzania
In Tanzania, community-based natural resource management of wildlife occurs through the creation of Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs). WMAs consist of multiple villages designating land for wildlife conservation, and sharing a portion of subsequent tourism revenues. Nineteen WMAs are currently operating, encompassing 7% of Tanzania’s land area, with 19 more WMAs planned. The ecological success or […]
Updated geographic range maps for giraffe, Giraffa spp., throughout sub-Saharan Africa, and implications of changing distributions for conservation
Giraffe populations have declined in abundance by almost 40% over the last three decades, and the geographic ranges of the species (previously believed to be one, now defined as four species) have been significantly reduced or altered. With substantial changes in land uses, loss of habitat, declining abundance, translocations, and data gaps, the existing geographic […]