Abstract
Giraffe (Giraffa spp.) numbers and their habitat have drastically declined throughout Africa over the last century due to various threats linked to anthropogenic impacts including habitat loss and fragmentation, disease, poaching, and climate change. In Kenya, the Nubian giraffe (G. camelopardalis camelopardalis) population decreased significantly up until the late 1980s. As a result of increased conservation efforts, the Nubian giraffe population has rebounded since the early 1990s, however, it remains predominantly extralimital and/or restricted to closed protected areas in central and western Kenya. In this paper, we set out to assess historical and current population numbers and trends of Nubian giraffe in Kenya, and highlight the conservation efforts that are applied to conserve this Critically Endangered taxon. We reviewed published manuscripts and grey literature, wildlife authority records and interviewed landowners with Nubian giraffe populations. We also conducted photographic surveys in three national parks and reserves where anecdotal reports suggested that the largest populations of Nubian giraffe occurred. We found that from a low of \(\sim\) 130 individuals remaining in the wild and near extinction in the mid-1970s, the Nubian giraffe population has rebounded to \(\sim\) 1,042 in 14 populations in Kenya, which represents an increase of more than 700%. This conservation success story is attributed to targeted management efforts, in particular conservation translocations and the increased monitoring of populations. At the same time, various factors including habitat loss and fragmentation, and infrastructure developments, linked with the increasing human population continue to pose a threat to their survival in the country. We place our findings in the broader context of population ecology and present opportunities for conservation research as well as recommendations that inform the management of this critical population of concern.
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Acknowledgements
We thank the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI), Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) and African Fund for Endangered Wildlife for their technical and logistical support. We also appreciate the KWS park ecologists and wardens, farm and conservancy managers, sanctuary managers, and researchers who attended the Nubian Giraffe Range Committee meetings and provided insightful information on Nubian giraffe. Lastly, we thank GCF for their financial support for this study and for ongoing Nubian giraffe conservation efforts in Kenya.
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A.B.M., S.F., and J.F. were the project leaders for this manuscript and wrote the main text. A.B.M., J.S.K., M.W.M., T.I., A.B., and E.N. collected and sorted the data in Lake Nakuru National Park, Mwea National Reserve, and Ruma National Park. J.S.K., M.W.M. and A.K.K. conducted the literature review. A.B.M. prepared the figures and tables. All authors contributed to the write-up and review of the main text of the manuscript and agree with the content.
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Muneza, A.B., Kavutha, J.S., Muruana, M.W. et al. Updated review of the conservation status of Nubian giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis) in Kenya. Biodivers Conserv 33, 1269–1284 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-024-02824-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-024-02824-x