Moçâmedes, Angola, 7th July, 2023 – African Parks, in collaboration with the Government of Angola and the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, has partnered to reintroduce Angolan giraffes to Iona National Park after an extended absence. This week, 14 giraffes made the journey from a private game farm in central Namibia to their historical range in Angola. The translocation reflects a commitment to restore the diverse array of species that once thrived in Iona National Park. Generous sponsorship from the Wyss Foundation and the Giraffe Conservation Foundation supported this endeavor.

Abias Huongo, Secretary of State for the Ministry of Environment, expressed the significance of the giraffe reintroduction, stating, “The reintroduction of giraffes to Iona National Park is a notable milestone in Angola’s conservation efforts. It showcases our dedication to preserving our country’s natural heritage, and our goal of creating a future where both people and wildlife can thrive.”

The giraffes endured a challenging journey, traveling over 1,300 kilometers in a specially designed truck for 36 hours from the 3rd to the 5th of July. The reintroduction of Angolan giraffes plays a vital role in restoring the park’s ecosystem functions and reestablishing essential ecological processes in the region. Giraffes, known for their selective feeding habits, shape vegetation through browsing and seed dispersal.

Stephanie Fennessy, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, emphasized the collaborative efforts, stating, “The reintroduction of giraffes to Iona National Park is an extraordinary achievement for giraffe conservation in Angola. By returning giraffes to their historical range, we are reviving their habitat, ensuring their long-term survival, and contributing to restoring ecological balance in the region. We look forward to continued collaboration with all partners involved for the project’s long-term success.”

Prior to the operation, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation conducted a comprehensive feasibility study, assessing factors such as source population, habitat suitability, human dimensions, risks during and after the operation, and financial feasibility. Based on positive results and the commitment of all stakeholders, the translocation was recommended and put into action. Additionally, African Parks conducted a survey among communities in and around Iona National Park to evaluate local perceptions of the giraffe translocation. The assessment revealed that the majority of residents welcomed the presence of giraffes and recognized the potential benefits for tourism in the park.

Pedro Monterroso, Park Manager at Iona National Park, described the reintroduction as a pivotal moment in the park’s history, stating, “The return of giraffes to Iona marks an important milestone. These majestic animals will contribute to the restoration of biodiversity and symbolize Angola’s commitment to conservation. We extend our gratitude to the Government of Angola, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, and the generous support from the Wyss Foundation for making this translocation possible.”

While giraffe populations have experienced declines due to habitat loss, poaching, and other human-induced factors, targeted conservation efforts have shown positive results, leading to population recoveries in certain areas. Protecting and conserving giraffes is crucial not only for their survival but also for maintaining the delicate balance and functionality of Africa’s ecosystems. The successful translocation of Angolan giraffes to Iona National Park highlights the importance of cross-border conservation efforts in safeguarding Africa’s unique biodiversity.

Source: African Parks

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Traditionally, giraffes were thought to have little or no social structure, and only fleeting, weak relationships. However in the last ten years, research has shown that giraffe social organisation is much more advanced than once thought.

In a paper published in today in the journal Mammal Review, Zoe Muller, of Bristol’s School of Biological Sciences, has demonstrated that giraffes spend up to 30% of their lives in a post-reproductive state.  This is comparable to other species with highly complex social structures and cooperative care, such as elephants and killer-whales which spend 23% and 35% of their lives in a post-reproductive state respectively. In these species, it has been demonstrated that the presence of post-menopausal females offers survival benefits for related offspring. In mammals – and –ncluding humans – this is known as the ‘Grandmother hypothesis’ which suggests that females live long past menopause so that they can help raise successive generations of offspring, thereby ensuring the preservation of their genes. Researchers propose that the presence of post-reproductive adult female giraffes could also function in the same way, and supports the author’s assertion that  giraffes are likely to engage in cooperative parenting, along matrilines, and contribute to the shared parental care of related kin. 

Zoe said: “It is baffling to me that such a large, iconic and charismatic African species has been understudied for so long. This paper collates all the evidence to suggest that giraffes are actually a highly complex social species, with intricate and high-functioning social systems, potentially comparable to elephants, cetaceans and chimpanzees.

“I hope that this study draws a line in the sand, from which point forwards, giraffes will be regarded as intelligent, group-living mammals which have evolved highly successful and complex societies, which have facilitated their survival in tough, predator-filled ecosystems.”

For scientists to recognise giraffes as a socially complex species, Zoe has suggested eight key areas for future research, including the need to understand the role that older, post-reproductive adults play in society and what fitness benefits they bring for group survival.

Zoe added: “Recognising that giraffes have a complex cooperative social system and live in matrilineal societies will further our understanding of their behavioural ecology and conservation needs.

“Conservation measures will be more successful if we have an accurate understanding of the species’ behavioural ecology. If we view giraffes as a highly socially complex species, this also raises their ‘status’ towards being a more complex and intelligent mammal that is increasingly worthy of protection.”

Paper:

‘A review of the social behaviour of the giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis: a misunderstood but socially complex species’ in Mammal Review by Zoe Muller and Professor Stephen Harris.

Source: Press Release, University of Bristol
Photo: Amar Alshaikh/Scopio

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Megaherbivores are more concerned about eating as much food as possible while expending the minimum amount of effort, than about avoiding potential predators. Elephants may consume as much as 600 pounds of vegetation in a day; giraffes, about 75. This drove scientists to wonder about the impact of these megaherbivores on vegetation across a range of landscapes in the savanna.

“Previous studies have demonstrated that megaherbivores adjust their movement patterns to avoid costly mountaineering,” said co-author David Kenfack, STRI staff scientist, coordinator of the ForestGEO network forest monitoring plots in Africa and recently elected Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences. “We wanted to know the extent to which fine-scale variations in topography may influence browsing damage by these charismatic megaherbivores and evaluate whether seasonal shortages in food availability would force the megaherbivores to venture into areas with rugged terrain.”

Their observations conducted within a 120-hectare Smithsonian ForestGEO long-term vegetation monitoring plot located at Mpala Research Center in Kenya confirmed that giraffes and elephants prefer flat ground while foraging. They compared the damage on Acacia mellifera trees, which grow all over the savanna landscape and are a common meal for megaherbivores. They found that the trees growing on steep slopes were taller and had fewer stems than those in valleys and plateaus, suggesting that elephant and giraffes tend to avoid feeding in these less accessible habitats.

This behavior did not change during the dry season, when resources become scarce, indicating that these two species would rather disperse to new areas with more favorable conditions than climb up a nearby slope to feed.

For the authors, these feeding patterns may help preserve steep slopes as habitat refugia, with a greater diversity and density of vegetation than more frequently visited areas. Their findings support this argument: the number and variety of trees encountered on the steep slopes was higher than in the valleys and plateaus.

“This study has broadened our understanding of the role of topography in explaining diversity patterns of plants,” said Duncan Kimuyu, a Smithsonian Mpala postdoctoral fellow, lecturer at Karatina University in Kenya and main author of the study. “Further research is warranted to understand how other factors such as differences in soil properties may interact with topography and megaherbivores to influence the growth and survival of vegetation in the African savanna.”

Source: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Photo credit: Duncan Kimuyu
Journal Reference: Duncan M. Kimuyu, David Kenfack, Paul M. Musili, Robert O. Ang’ila. Fine‐scale habitat heterogeneity influences browsing damage by elephant and giraffe. Biotropica, 2020 DOI: 10.1111/btp.12848

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