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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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Giraffe Foraging Ecology In The Tarangire Manyara Ecosystem, Tanzania

Management of rangelands requires knowledge of forage species that are preferred or avoided by wildlife and livestock. The recent and rapid transformation of habitat by humans has led to increased concerns about the proper management of rangelands. In East African savanna ecosystems, the expansion of woody vegetation into previously open grasslands has led some rangeland managers to advocate for the active removal of native bushes to maintain grazing lawns in African savanna ecosystems. However, little is known about how browsing

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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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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

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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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From savannah to farmland: effects of land-use on mammal communities in the Tarangire–Manyara ecosystem, Tanzania

Land-use change is considered a major driver of biodiversity loss. In the western part of the Tarangire–Manyara ecosystem, we assessed large mammal species richness along a land-use gradient (national park, uninhabited pastoral area and settled pastoral- and farmland). We found the highest species richness in the national park and in the pastoral area and lowest species richness in the settled and farmed area. There was little evidence of seasonal changes in species diversity. Except for top-order carnivores, all functional feeding

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Antipredator behaviour of African ungulates around human settlements

As human populations grow and come into more frequent contact with wildlife, it is important to understand how anthropogenic disturbance alters wildlife behaviour. Using fine-scale spatial analyses, we examined how proximity to human settlements affects antipredator responses of ungulates. We studied seven common ungulate species (Kirk’s dik-dik, Thomson’s gazelle, impala, common warthog, common wildebeest, common zebra and Masai giraffe) in the Tarangire–Manyara ecosystem in northern Tanzania. In zebra and giraffe, flight responses to humans were significantly more likely when closer

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