Giraffe skin disease - GCF Resource Library

Evaluating the effects of giraffe skin disease and wire snare wounds on the gaits of free‑ranging Nubian giraffe

Giraffe skin disease (GSD), a condition that results in superficial lesions in certain giraffe (Girafa spp.) populations, has emerged as a potential conservation threat. Preliminary findings suggested that individuals with GSD lesions move with greater difficulty which may in turn reduce their foraging efficiency or make them more vulnerable to predation. A current known threat to some giraffe populations is their mortality associated with entrapment in wire snares, and the morbidity and potential locomotor deficiencies associated with wounds acquired from

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Assessment of characteristics and severity of giraffe skin disease in Tarangire, Manyara ecosystem

Giraffe Skin Disease (GSD) is a recently observed illness, mainly affecting adult and subadult giraffes, causing gray or crusty lesions on giraffe body. The general objective of this study was to assess and characterize GSD and its severity in Tarangire-Manyara Ecosystem (TME). The study used road transects to gather field information on GSD. Eighty-four giraffes were sighted by systematic random sampling in the six study sites. Examination of giraffes involved body distribution of lesions, severity of the lesions and whether

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Exploring the connections between giraffe skin disease and lion predation

Rates at which predators encounter, hunt and kill prey are influenced by, among other things, the intrinsic condition of prey. Diseases can considerably compromise body condition, potentially weakening the ability of afflicted prey to avoid predation. Understanding predator–prey dynamics is particularly important when both species are threatened, as is the case with lions (Panthera leo) and giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis). Importantly, an emergent disease called giraffe skin disease (GSD) may affect predatory interactions of lions and giraffes. Hypotheses suggest that GSD

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Prevalence and histopathological characterization of Masai Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi) skin disease in Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem, Northern Tanzania

Background: Masai Giraffes have declined dramatically in recent decades due to loss of habitat and illegal hunting. Hence, it is critically important that the epidemiology and etiology of so-called giraffe skin disease (GSD) is understood well. Aim: To assess the prevalence and histopathological characteristics of GSD in the Tarangire-Manyara Ecosystem (TME), northern Tanzania. Methods: The study used road transects to gather field information on GSD. Eighty-four giraffes were sighted by systematic random sampling in the six study sites. Examination of

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Cutaneous Filariasis in Free-ranging Rothschild’s Giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi) in Uganda

Across Africa, wild giraffes suffer from a variety of skin disorders of mostly unknown etiology. With their populations already threatened from anthropogenic factors, it is important to understand infectious disease risks to giraffes. Here we describe filarid parasites and a portion of their genetic sequence associated with skin disease in Rothschild’s giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi) in Uganda.

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Examining disease prevalence for species of conservation concern using non-invasive spatial capture–recapture techniques

on‐invasive techniques have long been used to estimate wildlife population abundance and density. However, recent technological breakthroughs have facilitated non‐invasive estimation of the proportion of animal populations with certain diseases. Giraffes Giraffa camelopardalis are increasingly becoming recognized as a species of conservation concern with decreasing population trajectories across their range in Africa. Diseases may be an important component impacting giraffe population declines, and the emerging ‘giraffe skin disease’ (GSD ), characterized by the appearance of wrinkled skin and alopecic lesions on

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How a Tiny Worm is Irritating the Most Majestic of Giraffes

What is a fly to a giraffe? It’s difficult to imagine a single insect even coming to the attention of these peculiar animals, which weigh in at thousands of pounds and routinely stretch their necks to heights of more than 14 feet. In Uganda’s Murchison Falls National Park, however, Michael B. Brown, a wildlife conservation researcher, has noticed something that might be harder to ignore: Whole clouds of insects swarming around the necks of these quadrupedal giants. Under ordinary circumstances,

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Quantifying the severity of giraffe skin disease via photogrammetry analysis of camera trap data

Developing techniques to quantify the spread and severity of diseases afflicting wildlife populations is important for disease ecology, animal ecology, and conservation. Giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) are in the midst of a dramatic decline, but it is not known whether disease is playing an important role in the broad-scale population reductions. A skin disorder referred to as giraffe skin disease (GSD) was recorded in 1995 in one giraffe population in Uganda. Since then, GSD has been detected in 13 populations in

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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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Investigation report on giraffe skin disease of Ruaha National Park, Southern Highlands of Tanzania

Giraffe Skin Disease (GSD) is a newly observed condition mainly affecting adult and sub-adult giraffes in Ruaha National Park (RNP). For the first time, the disease was observed at Lunda, northeastern part of RNP in November 2000 but the disease was thought to have existed for some time. A seasonal variation in the prevalence has also been observed with more animals being affected during the rainy season compared to those affected in the dry season. This study was undertaken with

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