Words by Raj Hunjan
Did you know that there are several species of Giraffe? I certainly didn’t! Having travelled to different countries in Africa over the last five years and photographed these magnificent animals, I had noticed some variation in the patterns on their body but hadn’t clocked that there were significant differences. It turns out that not only are there several variants of Giraffe, geographically separated by thousands of miles, but also that they are separated by millions of years genetically too.
The Giraffe Conservation Foundation (“GCF”), led by founder Dr Julian Fennessy, has pioneered research into Giraffe all over the African continent and discovered that there are in fact four distinct species of Giraffe, Northern Giraffe, Southern Giraffe, Reticulated Giraffe and Masai Giraffe. Some may claim that because they can interbreed in captivity they are all sub-species, however the GCF argue that in the wild they would not breed, which crucially makes them separate species. This revelation is a wake up call for wildlife conservation, all of a sudden a total population of less than 100,000 is now split unequally into four:
Species and Numbers (Africa’s Giraffe – A Conservation Guide, GCF 2017)
Giraffa camelopardalis (northern giraffe) 5,195
G. c. antiquorum (Kordofan giraffe) 2,000
G. c. camelopardalis (Nubian giraffe) 2,645
G. c. peralta (West African giraffe) 550
Giraffa giraffa (southern giraffe) 52,050
G. g. angolensis (Angolan giraffe) 13,050
G. g. giraffa (South African giraffe) 39,000
Giraffa reticulata (reticulated giraffe) 8,700
Giraffa tippelskirchi (Masai giraffe) 32,500
This discovery is timely, population figures for Giraffe across the African continent have fallen as a whole by approximately 50,000 in the last three decades.
Three decades ago, in the 1980s, the total number of all giraffe in Africa was estimated at greater than 155,000 individuals…. In some areas traditionally regarded as prime giraffe habitat, numbers have dropped by more than 95%.
Africa’s Giraffe – A Conservation Guide, GCF 2017
The Northern Giraffe and Reticulated Giraffe are the biggest concern, with just a few isolated populations, leave the susceptible to being wiped out from natural or human disasters, note for example the 550 individual West African Giraffe which are located in Niger. Total species numbers can be misleading, as stated in the quote, some localised populations of the prevalent species have seen dramatic declines in numbers.
The GCF are keen to ensure the future for all species of Giraffe, by continuing their research, working with land owners, local populations, Governments and many other parties to boost population numbers across the board. Fiona and myself are heading out to Uganda to assist with the GCF annual Giraffe count at Kidepo National Park. We’ll be documenting the trip in pictures, words and video so keep an eye out for more Giraffe content on Travel & Photography!
If you’d like to find out more for yourself, check out the GCF 2017 Giraffe Guide here: pdf copy
The GCF website is also a great resource to find out the latest on Giraffe in the wild and to donate to their groundbreaking conservation work: Giraffe Conservation Trust website
I was inspired by Julian and the GCF after watching a 2016-2017 BBC Natural World Documentary called Giraffes: Africas Gentle Giants which is narrated by David Attenborough. Although the documentary is no longer available for free on BBC iPlayer, you can purchase a digital copy direct from the BBC Store website here: GCF BBC Documentary
