Niger Giraffe Project
Project Overview
At the beginning of the 20th century, giraffe were distributed widely across the Sudano sahelian zone: from Chad to Senegal. By the late 1990's, only 50 giraffe remained in the whole of West Africa, concentrated close to Niamey, the capital of Niger. Such a decline from several thousands to a few dozen in less than a century was mostly due to poaching, habitat loss and fragmentation.
Distribution of the giraffes at the beginning of the 20th century and today (Dagg, 1982 and IUCN, 2008)
Limited research has been undertaken on giraffe across Africa. Recently, the Niger government and the IUCN/SSC ASG International Giraffe Working Group (IGWG) identified that the West African giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis peralta, is the most endangered giraffe (sub)species in Africa, and was listed in the IUCN RedList 2008 as 'endangered' and of high conservation priority.
The giraffe of Niger are genetically unique. Recent studies indicate that the West African giraffe does not survive anywhere but Niger, including any captive populations. Additionally, the West African giraffe may actually be a distinct species rather than (sub)species based on ongoing research of all populations across the continent. If so, the population is critically endangered and deserves the highest conservation attention as it lives outside protected areas, has no natural predators, and shares its habitat with the local people.