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Giraffe Skin Disease (GSD): Epidemiology of an Emerging Disease

Diseases can greatly impact wildlife populations by causing temporary or permanent decreases in abundance.  Pathogens also can interact with other factors such as habitat loss, climate change, and overexploitation to cause local extinctions. The iconic Maasai giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi) is the national animal of the United Republic of Tanzania. The range of giraffe once covered most of Africa, but is presently discontinuous and much reduced as a result of the rinderpest pandemic, poaching, human settlement, deforestation, and expansion of

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Enrichment Methods used for Giraffa camelopardalis & Gazella dama mhorr at The East Midland Zoological Society: Twycross Zoo

To provide a more stimulating captive environment and to illicit species-specific behaviours, a review of the enrichment techniques used for two browsing ruminants, (the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) and the Mhorr gazelle (Gazella dama mhorr), held at Twycross Zoo was undertaken. It is well known that the majority of giraffe in captivity will develop some form of abnormal behaviour (EAZA, 2006) and hence enrichment protocols are vital in keeping animals occupied and stress-free.

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Does gravitational pressure of blood hinder flow to the brain of the giraffe?

Vascular pressure consists of the sum of two pressures: (a) pressure developed by the pumping of the ventricles against the resistance of vessels, designated as viscous flow pressure, and (b) pressure caused by gravity, traditionally called hydrostatic, better described as gravitational pressure. In a conduit, both of these pressures must be overcome when a liquid is discharged to a higher level of gravitational potential energy. If a liquid is returned to its original level, gravity neither helps nor hinders flow

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Serologic Survey of Selected Viral, Bacterial, and Protozoal Agents in Captive and Free-Ranging Ungulates from Central Kenya

Serologic evidence of exposure to various disease agents in free‐ranging and captive ungulates at a private game ranch in Kenya is presented, and seroprevalence values inside a fenced‐in area are compared with those found on the adjacent open savanna. Zebras outside the fence had a higher prevalence of equine rhinovirus‐1 than zebras inside (Fisher’s exact test, P= 0.007); for all other species and all other agents, there was no such difference (P > 0.10). Results highlight possible transmission of these agents from

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Energy and Fibre Intake in a Group of Captive Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) Offered Increasing Amounts of Browse

We investigated the effect of diet on intake of energy and fibre in a group of three captive adult giraffe by weighing offered diet items and leftovers for 7 days after an adaptation period of 7 days. Digestion coefficients were calculated using, as internal marker, the acid detergent lignin content of a faecal sample pooled from subsamples taken during the last 5 days of intake measurement. Two lucerne hay-only diets of differing quality (L1, L2) were fed, as well as

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The ecology of the desert-dwelling elephants, black rhinoceroses and giraffe of western Kaokoland and Damaraland, South-West Africa

In the western desert regions of Kaokoland and Damaraland in S.W.A. elephants, black rhinoceroses and giraffes survive under environmental conditions atypical elsewhere for them. These animals occupy a seemingly inhospitable desert habitat, are locally endangered and occur in small numbers. The first priority of this study is directed at the acquisition of the relevant data necessary for formulating those management and conservation strategies which will ensure the survival of these wildlife populations. Secondly, this study also aims at establishing whether

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Modeling the dynamics of migrations for large herbivore populations in the Amboseli National Park, Kenya

The spread of human activity, settlement and land fragmentation threatens the migrations of large migratory ungulates in Africa. Modelling the migrations gives conservationists a tool for building scenarios of the threats and containment options. We propose a simple spatially explicit mathematical model of ungulate migrations based on the seasonal distribution of vegetation quantity and quality and allometric models of diet. We use the seasonal movements of selected migrants in relation to vegetation in the Amboseli ecosystem, Kenya. Parameters estimation was

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The use of archeological and ethnographical information to supplement the historical record of the distribution of large mammalian herbivores in South Africa

The introduction of animal taxa  to areas where they do not naturally occur has the potential to damage severely the native fauna and flora. Introductions, both accidental and intentional, to Australia, New Zealand, Marion Island and other oceanic islands provide spectacular examples of this. Non-native mammalian herbivores often become invasive in the absence of their natural predators and their impact on vegetation, which may include alterations to plant species composition, structure and diversity, is exaggerated, especially if the vegetation has

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The destructive feeding ecology of elephants versus giraffes in South Africa

The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis), tallest of the land mammals and heaviest of all ruminants, is one of the world’s best-known animals because of its highly distinctive appearance. The African elephant (Loxodonta africana), is the largest land mammal on Earth and one of the most interesting species because of its unique feeding strategies. How destructive is the feeding ecology of elephants as compared to giraffes? A comparison of the two species’ diets, feeding strategies, environmental impacts and management are considered.

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