Search the Article Database:

Search our library of articles, papers and other published materials. You can use keywords or boolean-style search:

Leaving by staying: Social dispersal in giraffes

Dispersal is a critical process that shapes the structure of wild animal populations. In species that form multi-level societies, natal dispersal might be social (associated with a  different social community while remaining near the natal area), spatial (moving away from the natal area while continuing to associate with the same community), or both social and spatial (associating with a different community and moving away from the natal area). For such species, classical spatial measures of dispersal, such as distance moved,

View Details + Download

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

View Details + Download

Large mammal tracks in 1.8-million-year-old volcanic ash (Tuff IF , Bed I) at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania

Large animal tracks, unequivocally attributable to terrestrial mammals, are reported for the first time in sediment from uppermost Bed I (Tuff IF; ~1.803 million years ago) at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. One track in particular (attributed to the ichnogenus Pecoripeda) retains an exceptional level of detail, demonstrating the excellent trackway-preserving potential of the volcanic ash fall (tuff) layers at this important hominin archaeological locality. Olduvai Gorge is renowned for its abundant Plio-Pleistocene (zoo)archaeological discoveries and fossiliferous deposits vis-à-vis studies of human

View Details + Download

Peste des Petits Ruminants Virus Infection at the Wildlife–Livestock Interface in the Greater Serengeti Ecosystem, 2015–2019

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a viral disease of goats and sheep that occurs in Africa, the Middle East and Asia with a severe impact on livelihoods and livestock trade. Many wild artiodactyls are susceptible to PPR virus (PPRV) infection, and some outbreaks have threatened endangered wild populations. The role of wild species in PPRV epidemiology is unclear, which is a knowledge gap for the Global Strategy for the Control and Eradication of PPR. These studies aimed to investigate

View Details + Download

Dynamics of a Socially and Spatially Structured Giraffe Population in a Human-Natural Landscape

Sociality involves a constant trade-off between fitness benefits and costs of living in groups, and this trade-off can be influenced by the social and ecological environment in which individuals live. In this PhD I explored socioecological factors underlying the social and spatial population structure and dynamics of a large tropical herbivore with a highly fission-fusion social system, the giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis). Using a dataset of more than 3,000 uniquely identified individuals collected over a period of 8 years in the

View Details + Download

Diversity and abundance of wild mammals between different accommodation facilities in the Kwakuchinja Wildlife Corridor, Tanzania

Most of the wildlife corridors in Tanzania have been threatened by extensive human activities, including the establishment of tourist’s facilities. However, less attention has been paid to the degree at which tourist accommodation affects the abundance and diversity of wild mammals in wildlife corridors. This study assess the changes in abundance and diversity of wild mammals in relation to proximity to tourist lodges and tented camps in Kwakuchinja Wildlife Corridor. All wild mammals around four randomly selected accommodation facilities that

View Details + Download

Genetic connectivity and population structure of African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) in Tanzania

Increasing human population growth, exurban development, and associated habitat fragmentation is accelerating the isolation of many natural areas and wildlife populations across the planet. In Tanzania, rapid and ongoing habitat conversion to agriculture has severed many of the country’s former wildlife corridors between protected areas. To identify historically linked protected areas, we investigated the genetic structure and gene flow of African savanna elephants in Tanzania using microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA markers in 688 individuals sampled in 2015 and 2017. Our

View Details + Download

Bushmeat Consumption in the Tarangire-Manyara Ecosystem, Tanzania

Illegal hunting, driven by demand for bushmeat, threatens animal populations throughout Africa. While bushmeat consumption is thought to be common in the Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem (TME) of Northern Tanzania, its magnitude and drivers are not well understood. This lack of knowledge may inhibit effective mitigation policies. We conducted 394 household interviews in the TME in 2013 and 2014 to assess both the scale and the possible drivers of bushmeat availability and consumption in the ecosystem. Using generalized linear mixed models, information

View Details + Download

Long-term surveys of age structure in 13 ungulate and one ostrich species in the Serengeti, 1926–2018

The Serengeti ecosystem spans an extensive network of protected areas in Tanzania, eastern Africa, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is home to some of the largest animal migrations on the planet. Here, we describe a dataset consisting of the sample counts of three age classes (infant, juvenile and adult) of 13 ungulate and one ostrich species. Sample counts were tallied visually from the ground, or, in some instances, aerial photographs, during a period extending from 1926 to 2018.

View Details + Download

Mammal butchery by Homo erectus at the Lower Pleistocene acheulean site of Juma’s korongo 2 (JK2), bed III, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania

The Olduvai Gorge is considered one of the most relevant archaeological complexes with regards to the study of our human evolution. This is especially evident when studying the emergence of hunting practices over the past 1.7 Ma. Butchery activities have been documented throughout Bed II, including the exploitation of megafauna in a larger number of sites. Among these, Hippopotamus, giraffe, sivatherium and large bovids have been documented to be consumed by hominins in, BK, TK, FLK-West and SHK between 1.3

View Details + Download