First Round of 2012 Giraffe Surveys are Done!

_Derek, Monica, and Robert have just returned from nearly a month in the bush, where we conducted our photographic mark-recapture surveys of the Masai giraffe in the Tarangire-Manyara Ecosystem. We did two complete surveys of Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Manyara Ranch Conservancy, and Selela and Lolkisale Game Controlled Areas (GCAs allow hunting of ungulates, although not giraffe). We took identification photos of hundreds of giraffes, calculated their heights, and looked for Giraffe Skin Disease. This information will go into a database for long-term monitoring of the animals.We are studying the demography of giraffes – births, deaths, and movements – to understand where they are doing well and why. The Wild Nature Institute’s scientists are committed to ensuring a future for the Masai giraffe, the national animal of Tanzania.