Giraffid Newsletter of the IUCN SSC Giraffe & Okapi Specialist Group
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Giraffid Newsletter of the IUCN SSC Giraffe & Okapi Specialist Group Note from the Co-Chairs Volume 9(2), November 2015 Giraffe humming… where did that come from? Growing up I was always told that elephant trumpet, lion roar and giraffe, well… they are silent! Far too many Inside this issue: references still list giraffe as inaudible and mute, however, anyone who has Giraffe Indaba III – Sticking our necks out spent time with these raucous (well let’s not get carried away!) creatures will for giraffe conservation in Africa 2 know that they definitely make noises. Most recently some colleagues in World Giraffe Day – 21 June 2015 3 Germany published studies of humming giraffe, which became news the world World Giraffe Day – A different over – always brilliant to see giraffe in the news for positive reasons! Personally I perspective 4 think this news is only the tip of the iceberg and with the various cough and roar Giraffe taxonomy: where are we now? 8 noises they make in mind, l am sure it is only a matter of time that we see published evidence of giraffe communicating by infrasound – just like elephant Disappearing giraffes 10 and cetaceans. These guys are clever, far more than many give them credit for, Status of giraffe in Ethiopia – the case of and after many years of watching them in the wild I can only assume they are Gambella National Park 12 ‘talking’ at times. Kidepo Valley National Park giraffe conservation survey report 16 Two other exciting internal giraffe events were held since the last Giraffid issue: Identification individuelle des Girafes du the second-ever World Giraffe Day (WGD) – 21 June, and Giraffe Indaba III in Parc National de la Garamba 22 South Africa. WGD 2015 focussed on not only creating awareness and education Country Profile: Republic of Zambia 25 across the globe, which it did well, but also raising critical funds for ‘Operation Twiga’ – an initiative of GCF and Uganda Wildlife Authority to translocate Training zoo giraffe for hoof care 33 endangered Rothschild’s giraffe back into their former range within the country. What does a giraffe sound like? 34 This was an overwhelming success and shows that conservation of giraffe is Heat detection by infrared thermal important to you and others out there. Stay tuned for early 2016 to see the imaging 36 stories from this historic initiative. Sticking our necks out for giraffe in Our recent third Giraffe Indaba, a meeting of the wild giraffe and okapi worlds, Germany 37 was held in South Africa in August and provided the opportunity for all involved Tall Tales 38 to talk shop about these two species. This year saw a wide representation of Recently published research 43 okapi and giraffe folks, including people from the field, government, NGOs and Giraffe Indaba III: Presentation Abstracts 45 academic institutions both in Africa and international, and the first ever full Giraffe Indaba III: Poster Abstracts 55 session on okapi research and conservation (see abstracts in this issue). It was a great week and was kicked off by a pre-IUCN SSC GOSG meeting to update on activities and planned next steps. While the okapi remains the lesser-known species for this issue of Giraffid, a Objective of the IUCN SSC Giraffe & Okapi considerable amount of work has been going on behind the scenes including the Specialist Group (GOSG): The IUCN SSC Giraffe & Okapi Specialist finalisation of the first ever Okapi Conservation Strategy 2015-2025 – so watch Group (GOSG) is one of over 120 IUCN-SSC this space! The GOSG website is now live – www.giraffidsg.org – so please take a specialist groups, Red List Authorities and look, and send us feedback, ideas and contributions, as it is still a work in task forces working towards achieving the progress. SSC’s vision of “a world that values and conserves present levels of biodiversity”. As always, this issue of Giraffid brings you new and exciting news from across Made up of experts from around the world, the African continent and the world. From DRC to Ethiopia, Uganda to Zambia, our group leads efforts to study giraffe, USA to France and Germany, this issue is packed, and that’s before we start on okapi and the threats they face, as well as leading and supporting conservation the new questions arising around giraffe taxonomy… What more can one ask for actions designed to ensure the survival of to relax over the upcoming festive season – enjoy the read! the two species into the future. Noëlle Kümpel & Julian Fennessy Co-Chairs IUCN SSC GOSG IUCN SSC GOSG is jointly hosted by the Giraffe Conservation Foundation and the Zoological Society of London. Please send any questions, comments or articles for the next issue of Giraffid to the Editor at [email protected] Giraffid Vol. 9(2) 2015 2 Giraffe Indaba III – Sticking our necks out for giraffe conservation in Africa Steph Fennessy, Giraffe Conservation Foundation The third Giraffe Indaba, a dedicated conference on the Located within the official boundaries of Kruger National conservation and management of giraffe and okapi (their Park, the Southern African Wildlife College offered a closest relatives) in the wild, was held at the Southern prime location for discussing the many conservation and African Wildlife College in Hoedspruit, South Africa, in late management issues facing giraffe and okapi across the August 2015. African continent. The Giraffe Indaba was the third of its kind, oranised and The Giraffe Indaba III programme contained scientific and hosted by the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) and conservation presentations and posters on a range of the IUCN SSC Giraffe & Okapi Specialist Group (GOSG). issues from across their range in Africa and the captive After previous Indabas in Namibia (2011) and Kenya world, including giraffe and okapi ecology, population (2013), it once again brought together international dynamics, taxonomy, social structure, foraging behaviour, giraffe and okapi experts involved in research, conservation management and veterinary medicine (see management and conservation from across the world to form page 44 for Indaba presentation and poster discuss, debate and plan for the future of these iconic abstracts). Additionally, it included a dedicated workshop species. Presentations and discussions took place under session on giraffe conservation and management the overarching theme: Sticking our Necks out for Giraffe strategies in Africa with a hope to discuss how best to Conservation in Africa. As giraffids still do not feature formulate a framework strategy for giraffe across Africa. prominently on the conservation hit list, it is about time to As important, Giraffe Indaba III provided a setting for draw more attention to the continuous decrease in giraffe networking amongst fellow giraffid experts during the and okapi numbers and range across the continent. week. Keynote speakers included Dr Sam Ferreira, Large Mammal Ecologist at South African National Parks and Ms Giraffe numbers have plummeted from a little more Theresa Sowry, CEO of Southern African Wildlife College. 140,000 in the late 1990s to approx. 80,000 today, whilst Delegates also had the opportunity to see South Africa’s okapi numbers are thought to have halved in the same giraffe and other wildlife on game walks and drives in the period. Sadly, giraffe have become extinct in at least greater Kruger National Park. seven African countries over the last century. These dramatic losses have gone largely unnoticed. The main Prior to the Indaba, the IUCN SSC Giraffe & Okapi threats to both species are habitat loss and Specialist Group (GOSG) took the opportunity for a face- fragmentation, and human population growth with to-face meeting at the same venue. Key issues discussed associated impacts such as disease and illegal were the current status and review of the IUCN Red List hunting/poaching. status for giraffe and okapi, current and future genetics and taxonomy of both species, and the development of a Conservationists warn that immediate action must be conservation framework strategy for giraffe in Africa. The taken to secure the future of both giraffe and okapi before IUCN SSC GOSG is currently conducting the first-ever it is too late. Already two giraffe subspecies as well as the detailed assessment of giraffe as a species as well as all its okapi are listed as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List and nine subspecies, and it is expected that by early to mid a new review is likely to add a few more giraffe subspecies 2016 more may end up in one of the IUCN Red List as well as the giraffe as a species to this precarious list. threatened categories. A special thank you goes to the Leiden Conservation Foundation for their invaluable financial support for Giraffe Indaba III. Contact: Steph Fennessy [email protected] Giraffid Vol. 9(2) 2015 3 World Giraffe Day – 21 June 2015 Steph Fennessy, Giraffe Conservation Foundation 21 June 2015 marked the second ever World Giraffe Day This dedicated and very (WGD) and it was met with and celebrated around the worthwhile fundraising world with as much enthusiasm as last year’s first special effort was very day for this amazing species. When the WGD concept was successful and again developed in late 2013, it was just an idea in an attempt championed by GCF’s VIP to draw attention to the plight of giraffe in Africa. There Partner Leiden were no high expectations and as a result we were just Conservation overwhelmed by how WGD developed its own legs, Foundation, who especially in the zoo community, but also with others matched all WGD around the world, and has since established itself as a firm donation of a minimum annual fixture in many calendars around the world.