Why are giraffes tracked?Updated 6 months ago

Giraffes are one of the most recognizable large mammals on earth yet we know very little about their biology and conservation needs. This is because giraffes, due to their unique anatomy, have not been good candidates for collaring until recently. Recent advancements in technology have allowed our partners at the Somali Giraffe Project to track these unique animals in an effort to understand their movements and habitat use.

For example, we are asking basic questions like what are their home range sizes (how do they move and utilize their landscape), how do they select resources and share the landscape with humans (what type of habitat do they depend on) and ultimately what the drivers of their decline and how these threats interact to affect giraffe populations? Some of the contemporary threats facing giraffes include poaching, bushmeat trade, diseases, habitat loss and climate change. Through this scientific process, we are able to understand conservation needs of giraffes and deduce from the data how best to save them from extinction. This will certainly contribute to their monitoring and the long-term recovery in their native range in eastern Kenya.  

To learn more about why giraffes are tracked, visit our partner the Somali Giraffe Project directly at somaligiraffe.org.