The Last Remaining Giraffe in West Africa

Take the main road east out of Niamey for 60 kilometers through flat orange savanna with sparse green fauna, clear azure skies, warm clean air, and the only sound the roar of the engine; the scene is eerie and heartbreaking. Unknowing you have crossed the imaginary line into the wild, on your left a giraffe appears on the side of the road.


Defying nature and urbanization the giraffe in Niger continue to survive. Just a hundred years ago giraffes roamed free from Senegal to Cameroon but over time the number shrank from thousands to less than a hundred. Several factors contributed to their demise from poachers and hunters to humans pushing out cutting down their shelter and food. At the end of the 20th century predators such as lions and hyenas ceased to be a threat when they were exterminated by poachers. Now, the last remaining giraffe survive in the area east of Niamey between Koure and Niger’s River in the Dosso region.

The continent of Africa is home to 9 subspecies of giraffe. In West Africa, the subspecies is called Giraffa Camelpardalis Peralta (G.C.P) distinguishable by large orange-brown spots fading into pale white legs. Over the centuries local giraffes were rounded-up and taken to other countries where they breed with other species of giraffe, but local giraffe have remained genetically and ecologically the same due to reproductive isolation. This subspecies will allow scientist to better understand genetics, a step forward for humans and animals. So it is no surprise that when it was learned they were close to extinction conservation groups stepped-in.

Since the intervention of conservation groups there has been a dramatic change in the life expectancy of the giraffe. In 1996, the Association for the Protection of Niger’s Giraffe (L‘ASGN), recorded 50 giraffes in the Koure area. Conservation groups began pushing government for changes in policies stressing their value for eco-tourism and to the global science community. Two years later, the government began making changes, they created polices banning hunting and poaching of giraffes --two major factors in the extinction of predators in the Koure area. The ASGN began a local campaign of habitat restoration, awareness programs, and giraffe support incentives. Signs of success are slow to show in West Africa, but gradually circumstances for the giraffe are improving. A 2008 study recorded 200 giraffe in the area a 12% yearly increase a positive sign for eco-tourism, scientist, locals, naturist, and giraffe.

There is more hope for the West African giraffe. In February 2010, eight giraffe were fitted with state-of-the-art gps trackers in a project funded by the British Conservation Foundation (GCF). This will allow scientist to keep better track of the expanding heard and monitor its movements as they cross over into new frontiers such as Mali - where there are no laws in place to protect them.

Websites:

Giraffe Conservation Foundation http://www.giraffeconservation.org/

 Association pour Sauvegarde des Girafes du Niger (ASGN), http://www.cerza.com//