West African Giraffe Conservation

Project Animal(s) : Giraffe
Project Category : Mammals
Project Region : Africa
Project Type : Conservation
Project URL : http://www.awf.org/projects/west-african-giraffe-conservation
Project is timebound? : No

Once ranging widely from Senegal to Cameroon, the West African giraffe today is found in a small area in Niger that is not formally protected. On the brink of extinction in 1996, the West African giraffe has staged a promising rebound; its future survival, however, continues to be far from assured.

The giraffe herds live outside the park in a “transitional zone” of Parc W–Niger, meaning the zone is not formally protected. The giraffe population shares this land with many villages, and human-giraffe conflict is becoming a pressing issue. Farmers clear land for crop cultivation and as the natural vegetation disappears, giraffes are forced to search for other sources of food, often raiding farmer’s fields. Habitat degradation is exacerbated by locals collecting firewood, which further reduces giraffes’ food sources.

Project Agency : African Wildlife Foundation

Project Agency Contact : http://www.awf.org/contact