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The spatial ecology, habitat preference and diet selection of giraffe (Giraffa Camelopardalis Giraffa) in the Kalahari region of South Africa

The research project was conducted within two separate study areas. The main research project was conducted in the Khamab Kalahari Nature Reserve (KKNR) in the North West Province of South Africa. The main research project only commenced after the completion of a preliminary study that was conducted on the Woodland Hills Wildlife Estate in the Free State Province of South Africa.Little is known of the environmental impacts on giraffe in this ecological region, and concern has been expressed regarding population

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Population dynamics of the Maasai giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi) in Tarangire-Manyara Ecosystem

Demographic studies can show overall population performance, help understand population structure and recognize animal distribution and movement. In order to investigate the social structure of giraffes in the Tarangire-Manyara Ecosystem, data on population structure, sex ratios, age ratios and habitat preference were examined in three protected areas. These areas included Lake Manyara National Park, Manyara Ranch and Tarangire National Park. A total of 348 giraffes were sexed and aged in the three areas combined. Manyara Ranch had the largest maximum

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Sex differences in giraffe feeding ecology: Energetic and social constraints

Sex ratios of giraffe groups differ in different habitats, with open vegetation having female‐biased groups, and tall, thick vegetation having male‐biased groups. On a ranch in south‐central Kenya, we quantified habitat differences of male and female giraffe groups and showed that the preference for open habitats by female groups was limited to groups with young. We suggest that this difference is due to the avoidance of predators of young giraffes. We also showed that rates of giraffe feeding peaked at

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Dietary preference of the Rothschild’s Giraffes (Giraffa Camelopardalis Rothschildii) translocated to Ruma National park, Kenya

Without monitoring of animal behavior and the productivity of their environment, the success of a translocation cannot be properly ascertained, nor can important lessons be learned. This study investigated habitat utilization of the translocated Rothschild’s giraffes in Ruma National Park. Feeding giraffes were observed with an 8×40 pair of binoculars and plants eaten were collected, tagged, pressed and identified. For each plant species, “food- records” were summed and expressed as a percentage of all observations. Habitat preference and preference rating

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Factors affecting group size and vigilance behaviour of Maasai Giraffe (Giraffa Camelopardalis Tippelskirchi) in the Serengeti Ngorongoro Ecosystem, Tanzania

This study investigates factors affecting group sizes of Maasai giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi) in the Serengeti-Ngorongoro ecosystem, northern Tanzania. Various studies on giraffes have been conducted in the past, but none has investigated factors affecting giraffes’ group size and vigilance behavior in this vast ecosystem. As a result, I was motivated to investigate the following hypotheses: 1) in a given group, the sex ratio of males to females with calves is related to group size; 2) group size affects vigilance

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Habitat availability, hunting or poaching: what affects distribution and density of large mammals in western Tanzanian woodlands?

Game reserves (GR) in Tanzania have been found to support similar or lower densities of large mammals compared with National parks (NP). But as these areas usually differ considerably not only in regard to management but also to environmental factors, we assessed the relative importance of vegetation cover, species-specific habitat preferences and legal (trophy hunting) and illegal off-take for observed differences in species-specific densities. In the Katavi ecosystem, open habitats were characteristic elements of Katavi NP, while Rukwa GR was

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Ecological separation of the large mammal species in the Tarangire Game Reserve, Tanganyika

The ecological separation of 14 common ungulate species living in close contact with each other in a Tanganyika game reserve is shown to be achieved by six different factors: 1. the occupation of different vegetation types and broad habitats; 2. the selection of different types of food; 3. the occupation of different areas at the same season; 4. the occupation of the same area at different seasons; 5. the use of different feeding levels in the vegetation; 6. the occupation

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