New conservation
project for threatened giraffe
Conservationists are
launching a new effort to save one of the few remaining populations of Central
African giraffe left in the wild.
Experts from Bristol
Zoological Society are travelling to Cameroon this summer to begin a critical
research effort to map the location of some of the remaining Central African or
Kordofan giraffe using drone technology.
They hope to
establish whether there is a sustainable population of this highly threatened
giraffe subspecies that they can work to conserve and help save them from extinction.
Wild giraffe numbers
have dwindled from 140,000 to potentially 80,000 in just 15 years. There are
now fewer giraffe left in the wild than African elephants, with giraffe numbers
being around a fifth of those of African elephants. Population numbers of Kordofan
giraffe are critically low, estimated at fewer than 2,000, in several
fragmented populations throughout their range.
Bristol Zoological
Society’s head of conservation science, Dr Grainne McCabe, said: “Kordofan
giraffe are in very serious trouble in the wild. With threats from habitat loss
due to huge herds of cattle present in the area and poaching for bushmeat,
these iconic animals are disappearing quickly and quietly towards extinction.
If nothing is done to protect them, there is a real chance they will be lost
forever.”
She added: “This
summer’s pilot study will help inform our future conservation work to ensure we
are targeting our efforts in the right areas. Very little is currently known
about the range and population of giraffe in Cameroon so our initial results
from this trip, as well as future trips next year, will be vital in planning a
way forward to help protect giraffe in this area.”
Kordofan giraffe are
a threatened sub-species found in northern Cameroon, southern Chad, Central
African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo and western Sudan. The Zoo
will focus its efforts on the Bénoué National Park in Cameroon – a UNESCO designated
biosphere reserve. There is no active conservation project aimed solely for
Kordofan giraffe in Cameroon at present.
The Zoo has worked
in the region for 20 years, alongside an organisation that rescues and
rehabilitates gorillas, chimps and other primates orphaned by poachers hunting
for the illegal bushmeat trade. The Society also works to tackle the root cause
of the gorilla trade by working with disadvantaged communities around the Dja
Biosphere Reserve – which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
There are currently
nine recognised subspecies of giraffe in Africa. All subspecies live in
geographically distinct areas across the continent.
Bristol Zoological
Society will link the giraffe conservation project to a new giraffe exhibit
planned next year at its sister attraction in South Gloucestershire – Wild
Place Project.
Bristol Zoological
Society is a conservation and education charity and relies on the generous
support of the public not only to fund its important work in the Zoo and at
Wild Place Project, but also its vital conservation and research projects
spanning five continents. For more information about the Society’s conservation
projects, visit the website at www.bristolzoo.org.uk/save-wildlife.
Peter Dickinson
Independent International Zoo Consultant        |
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