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Dry season Aerial Survey of Gambella National Park and Surrounding areas

Gambella National Park was initially proposed in 1973, but didn’t receive official status at national or federal level until 2014. The Park was proposed primarily to protect its outstanding biodiversity and important wetland habitats, and to protect two large mammal species: the White-eared kob (Kobus kob leucotis) and the Nile lechwe (Kobus megaceros). Currently, the park hosts the largest populations of these species in Ethiopia, and also Elephant (Loxodonta africana), Giraffe (Giraffa cameleopardalis), Buffalo (Syncerus caffer), Lion (Panthera leo) and

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What are the parameters that influence giraffe population decline in Africa and which solutions are practicable?

Giraffes are internationally popular in zoos and represent an emblem of the ecosystems and countries in which they live. However, despite this iconic status, giraffes are relatively poorly studied and there is a general lack of knowledge on the key factors affecting their demographic rates. In the last thirty years, giraffe populations across Africa have declined by 40%. However, this demographic decline is not homogeneous across the African continent. According to the latest IUCN red list, the nine subspecies of

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The implications of the reclassification of South African wildlife species as farm animals

The Government Gazette No. 42464 dated 17 May 20191 amended Table 7 of the Animal Improvement Act (Act no. 62 of 1998), which lists breeds of animals, to include at least 32 new wild animal species, including 24 indigenous mammals. The list includes threatened and rare species such as cheetah, white and black rhinoceros, and suni. Some alien species such as lechwe, various deer species and rabbits are also included. The cornerstone of the original Act is ‘To provide for

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The behaviour and dietary preferences of southern giraffe (giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) on the umphafa private nature reserve, kwa-zulu natal

The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) has been severely neglected among the scientific community in terms of research. This investigation explores their behavioural patterns with focus on feeding behaviours and dietary preferences under influencing factors, which provides vital information for conservation in situ and population management ex situ. The behaviour and dietary composition of nine Southern Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) was observed in situ over a period of seven weeks. Dietary composition was recorded on a time sheet correlated with behavioural observations

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Outlines of wildlife conservation in Angola

A review of the history and present status of wildlife conservation in the Portuguese west African state of Angola is presented. The geomorphology, geology, climate and major biogeographic divisions are briefly described and the history of wildlife legislation and administration reviewed. The present status of existing conservation areas, wildlife utilization, threatened ecosystems and rare species is discussed. Research priorities are noted and future trends in conservation policy outlined.

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Giraffa camelopardalis, Giraffe Assessment by: Muller, Z. et al.

Taxonomic Notes: The IUCN SSC Giraffe and Okapi Specialist Group (GOSG) currently recognizes a single species, Giraffa camelopardalis. Nine subspecies of Giraffes are currently recognized (Dagg 2014), although some authorities dispute this taxonomic classification (e.g., Groves and Grubb 2011). Several subpopulations of Giraffe, resident in northern Botswana, northwest Zimbabwe, northeastern Namibia and southwestern Zambia, are potentially either G. c. angolensis, or G. c. giraffa but the continued accumulation of information indicates that a future reassessment might be in order. Until

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Assessment of giraffe populations and conservation status in East Africa

Populations of giraffes Giraffa camelopardalis are declining in the wild, with some populations having suffered an 80% decline in the past ten years. In comparison to other large African mammals, giraffes have been largely overlooked in terms of research attention and conservation action. In recent years, the extent to which giraffe populations have declined across Africa has only just started to become apparent. Currently (as of May 2016), giraffes are listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of

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Collapse of the world’s largest herbivores

Large wild herbivores are crucial to ecosystems and human societies. We highlight the 74 largest terrestrial herbivore species on Earth (body mass>–100 kg), the threats they face, their important and often overlooked ecosystem effects, and the conservation efforts needed to save them and their predators from extinction. Large herbivores are generally facing dramatic population declines and range contractions, such that ~60% are threatened with extinction. Nearly all threatened species are in developing countries, where major threats include hunting, land-use change,

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Early detection of declining populations using floor and ceiling models

1. Within Caughley’s (1994) declining population paradigm for conservation, we develop a realistic method of detecting population changes using floor and ceiling population models. 2. A theoretical framework for detecting declining populations is presented and applied to four ungulate species from Kruger National Park, South Africa. 3. Census data are fitted to a non-linear autoregressive population model. Based on this model two auxiliary models, called the floor and ceiling models, are derived. These models predict the upper and lower threshold

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Where is the game? Wild meat products authentication in South Africa: a case study

Background: Wild animals’ meat is extensively consumed in South Africa, being obtained either from ranching, farming or hunting. To test the authenticity of the commercial labels of meat products in the local market, we obtained DNA sequence information from 146 samples (14 beef and 132 game labels) for barcoding cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and partial cytochrome b and mitochondrial fragments. The reliability of species assignments were evaluated using BLAST searches in GenBank, maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis and the character-based

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