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Giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis peralta) of Niger

Thirty years ago giraffes were found all over the Sudano-Sahelian area, from Mauritania to Chad. Over the last 20 years, due to loss of habitat and poaching, giraffe populations have decreased. In Niger large herds were present in the Tanout area, between Agadez and Zinder, but they disappeared because of recurring drought. During the eighties, giraffes were present in the Ayorou area, but suddenly disappeared because of poaching along the Malian border and the 1984 drought. Today the sub-species Giraffa

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The feeding behaviour of giraffe in Niger

The remaining West African giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) are found in Niger (62 individuals in January 1998). Their feeding behaviour was studied by direct observation during two periods of 6 and 12 mo. The giraffe’s diet is diverse: at least 45 plant species were eaten, depending on spatial arrangement and a given plant’s stage of growth. Time spent browsing during the dry season was twice that devoted to browsing during the rainy season (46 and 23 % respectively). Time spent feeding

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Female tannin avoidance: a possible explanation for habitat and dietary segregation of giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis peralta) in Niger

Niger is host to the last free‐roaming herd of G.c. peralta (Giraffa camelopardalis peralta). We examined the foraging preferences of these giraffe in their dry‐season habitats, with the goal of preserving the herd in the regions that they currently inhabit. The current dry‐season habitat comprises two distinct vegetation zones. In both of these zones the giraffe must exist alongside the people of this region. The giraffes exhibit a sexual segregation in their dry‐season habitat selection and forage choices. The females

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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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Seasonal movements of giraffes in Niger

The last population of giraffes in west Africa lives in Niger in an unprotected Sahelian region inhabited by farmers and herders. The spatial behaviour of each individual of the population (n = 63) was studied by direct observation during 15 mo. Two-thirds of the population were resident in the tiger bush in the rainy season and in the nearby area of Harikanassou, a sandy agricultural region, in the dry season. Rainy season and dry season home ranges were mutually exclusive

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The social organization of giraffes in Niger

The social organization of the last population of giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) in West Africa was studied between October 1996 and December 1997. Population size increased from 51 to 63 individuals during the study period. Groups were larger during the rainy season (mean group size 9.4) than during the dry season (mean group size 6; U=4131; P³0.01). Giraffes did not show strong preferential associations. Group types observed were similar to those expected on the assumption that associations are independent of sex

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Impacts de l’occupation des sols sur l’habitat la girafe au Niger et enjeux pour la sauvegarde du dernier troupeau de girafes de l’Afrique de l’Ouest

The giraffes of Niger (Giraffa camelopardalis peralta) live freely in an environment highly colonized by man called, the zone of transition of the Reserve of Biosphere of the W Regional Park of Niger. The agricultural practices in synergy with the high demographic pressure and the recurring droughts infer an accelerated degradation of the natural forest of this zone, and consequently a fragmentation of the giraffe habitat will even change its behavior. Therefore, an exponential growth of the population of giraffes

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Identifying conservation constraints for the last West African giraffe: population dynamics determining factors and spatial distribution pattern

One of the main challenges for endangered species protection in Africa is to find a sustainable way of integrating objectives of nature conservation with the economic development needs of the local human population. Last West African giraffe population, Giraffa camelopardalis peralta, lives in Niger. These giraffe are unique for several reasons: (i) they represent the only population of peralta sub-species, and (ii) they live in an area densely populated by humans, (iii) which is unprotected and (iv) without predators. In

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West Africa’s last giraffes: The conflict between development and conservation

The distribution of the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis peralta Thomas 1898) has greatly diminished in West Africa, and now the last remaining population, reduced to less than 100 individuals, is found in Niger. These giraffes of West Africa are seriously threatened by extensive deforestation and clearing of their habitat. They live peacefully with humans and cattle and participate in an essential way in the dynamics of vegetation. Their disappearance would represent another step towards the impoverishment of the inheritance of Africa, a

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