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Ranging behaviours across ecological and anthropogenic disturbance gradients: a pan-African perspective of giraffe (Giraffa spp.) space use

Animal movement behaviours are shaped by diverse factors, including resource availability and human impacts on the landscape. We generated home range estimates and daily movement rate estimates for 148 giraffe (Giraffa spp.) from all four species across Africa to evaluate the effects of environmental productivity and anthropogenic disturbance on space use. Using the continuous time movement modelling framework and a novel application of mixed effects meta-regression, we summarized overall giraffe space use and tested for the effects of resource availability

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Effects of body size on estimation of mammalian area requirements

Accurately quantifying species’ area requirements is a prerequisite for effective area-based conservation. This typically involves collecting tracking data on species of interest and then conducting home-range analyses. Problematically, autocorrelation in tracking data can result in space needs being severely underestimated. Based on the previous work, we hypothesized the magnitude of underestimation varies with body mass, a relationship that could have serious conservation implications. To evaluate this hypothesis for terrestrial mammals, we estimated home-range areas with global positioning system (GPS) locations

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Assessment of the feasibility to reintroduce Angolan giraffe (Giraffa giraffa angolensis) into Iona National Park, Angola focusing on habitat and social suitability

Giraffe (Giraffa spp.) numbers and distribution have shown dramatic decline (>30%) over the past 30 years. A century ago, the population size in the wild was estimated at >1 million individuals. At present, there are approximately 117, 000 individuals remaining, of which 50% are throughout southern Africa. This rapid decline is mainly thought to be due to habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation, and sporadic poaching and civil unrest ravaging many African countries. As a result of this decline, giraffe was

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Determination of individual home range size and group composition of the main giraffe population at Entabeni Game Reserve

Large variations in giraffe home range size have been reported in previous studies, where individual home ranges usually overlap. The social structure of giraffe populations is complex and not much research has been done on their group size and group composition. To be able to identify the individual giraffe roaming the lower escarpment of Entabeni Game Reserve (EGR), Limpopo, South Africa an identification catalogue was initially created in February 2011. A total number of 45 giraffe were individually identified in

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Population structure and spatial ecology of Kordofan giraffe in Garamba National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo

Population numbers of Kordofan giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis antiquorum) have declined throughout its range by more than 85% in the last three decades, including in the isolated easternmost population found in the Garamba National Park (NP) in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We provide new data on the conservation status and ecology of Kordofan giraffe in Garamba NP, specifically on the current population dynamics, distribution patterns, and spatial ecology for informed conservation management decisions. Data were gathered between September 26, 2016,

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Movement Patterns And Home Range Sizes Of The Rothschild’s Giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis Rothschildii) Translocated To Ruma National Park, Kenya.

The need for management of small, wild populations has been given limited attention. The Rothschild’s giraffe is poorly represented in East Africa, therefore, it is important that its populations and environments should be carefully managed to permit its survival. The objective of this study was to determine the movement patterns and home range sizes of the translocated Rothschild’s giraffes in Ruma National Park. Using binoculars, the giraffes were located, aged and sexed. Individuals were recognized by variations in their skin

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Use of home range behaviour to assess establishment in translocated giraffes

Conservation translocation is a management technique employed to introduce, re-introduce or reinforce wild animal and plant populations. Giraffe translocations are being conducted throughout Africa, but the lack of effective post-translocation monitoring limits our ability to assess translocation outcomes. One potential indicator of translocation success is the establishment of characteristic movement and home range behaviour in the new location. We analysed the post-translocation movement patterns of six Global Positioning System-collared Angolan giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis) in three regions of Namibia. We

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Enclosure size in captive wild mammals: A comparison between UK zoological collections and the wild

A comparison was made between the average enclosure size of a random sample of mammals lept during the years 2000-2001in a random sample of UK zoological collections and the minimum home range of these taxa in the wild. Allometric laws were used to estimate the home range area, while direct observation from videotaped visits to the collections was used to estimate enclosure size area. The results showed that, as an average, the average enclosure size had an area 100 times

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Movement patterns and herd dynamics among South African giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa)

Giraffes reside in a fission–fusion social system, with sex, age proximity, kinship and home range overlap accounting for some of the variance in herd composition, while season, sex, age and time of day influence diet, home range size and distance travelled. To increase our knowledge of habitat use and fission–fusion herd dynamics, we placed GPS devices on eight adult female South African giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) living in the Khamab Kalahari Nature Reserve (South Africa). We tested four predictions about

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Overview of the ecology of the Niger giraffe

The giraffe of Niger are the last in all West Africa. It is threatened. They are both genetically and ecologically distinct from other giraffe and are therefore an important biodiversity remnant. Although baseline research has been limited, it does provide snapshots of what has happened to the population’s numbers and distribution over the past decade. Currently, the population is increasing and genetically healthy, however, its range has been significantly reduced and habitat loss and fragmentation continues to be a major

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