Today’s #WingedWednesdayBats Webinar is being given by Zambia’s very own bat expert – Helen Taylor-Boyd. She is hosting Zambia –Bat Conservation Takes Flight at 15 hrs this afternoon. Her talk will give you an overview of the work being carried out during her PhD research and the conservation efforts taking place here – from environmental education to in-country capacity strengthening.
Helen is the Research and Conservation Officer at Bats Without Borders. She is also a PhD researcher at the University of Stirling, and leads international groups in bat research around Zambia.
If you haven’t already registered, then you can do so by completing their sign up form on the Webinar page on their website. Webinars are held on Zoom and once registered you will be sent the joining instructions.
#WingedWednesdays are now being held twice a month, on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays. If you have missed any of their webinars, or would like to rewatch them, then you can catch them again on their website.
You can also visit their Facebook page where they are showcasing some of their stunning art and photographic entries from their Batty Art Competition.
The Botswana Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, Conservation and Tourism announced last week that 275 elephants have mysteriously died in the Seronga Region over the last few months.
Despite speculation in the media, it is not yet known why hundreds of elephants have died in and around the Okavango Delta. So far 356 elephant carcasses have been reported, with 275 deaths confirmed. The conservation organisation, Elephants Without Borders (EWB) reported that they have seen some elephants looking very weak, lethargic and emaciated. Some are showing signs of disorientation, difficulty walking or limping – “one elephant was observed walking in circles, unable to change direction although being encouraged by other herd members” (EWB). This might suggest that something is impacting their brain function.
Poaching has been ruled out as the elephants were found with their tusks still intact. Samples have been taken to discover if these elephant have been poisoned, if their deaths are due to an unknown disease or if it is because of a naturally occurring toxin in their habitat. These samples will be sent to be tested in laboratories in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Canada.
Botswana has the world’s largest elephant population, estimated at 130,000 – approximately one third of all elephants found in Africa. This unprecedented death rate is not a normal phenomenon, even in times of drought. Until test results come back it won’t be known how best the Botswana Government can respond to this potential conservation disaster.
For updates visit the Botswana Department of National Wildlife and Parks Facebook Page.
Over the weekend we came across an inspirational interview on one young woman’s journey into the world of conservation – “The Achilles Heel of Conservation in Africa” with Meryln Nomusa Nkomo – on the Conservation Storytelling website.
Merlyn Nomusa Nkomo is from Zimbabwe. In her ‘Conservation Storytelling’ podcast she shares her path from her fascination with small mammals and birds as a child, via her degree in Forest Resources and Wildlife, to her current graduate volunteer research on Southern Ground hornbills and vultures. She is now an Ornithologist by profession and is the youngest member of the BirdLife Zimbabwe committee (Matabeleland branch), mentoring her local BirdLife Youth Chapter.
Merlyn is passionate about bridging the gap between science and communities, feeling that many Africans are now disconnected from the nature that surrounds them. She asks ‘who are we conserving Africa for’ and whether conservation is seen as a luxury or should it be an integral part of our school curriculum and local communities?
Her podcast can be found on the Conservation Storytelling website which hosts informal chats on a diverse range of conservation field-based subjects in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi. Their aim is to share ideas, create awareness and fulfil curiosity about conservation in Africa.
You can listen to Merlyn’s interview, along with other podcasts from conservationists working in Lower Zambezi, Kafue and North Luangwa National Parks at www.conservationstorytelling.com
To help celebrate these gentle giants, we thought we would share some of our favourite facts about giraffe
How tall are giraffe?
Giraffe are the world’s tallest living animal, standing at around 4 – 5 metres in height. The tallest giraffe ever recorded was 5.9 metres. Their height helps them to feed high up in the tree canopies and to keep a look out for predators. Despite having such long necks, they only have seven vertebrae – the same number as humans. Even so, their neck is too short to reach the ground to drink, so they have to awkwardly shuffle and spread out their front legs to reach water.
What do giraffe eat?
Giraffe are herbivores, eating up to 45 kg of leaves and twigs a day. Their favourite is the thorny acacia. They use their long bluish to purple coloured tongue (which is up to 50 cm long) to rip fresh leaves from between the spikes of the acacia tree. They are also known to eat bones – chewing on carcasses to obtain calcium and phosphorous to help strengthen their own bones. Giraffe are one of nature’s pollinators – as they wander around feeding from the tops of the trees their muzzles inadvertently transfer pollen from the flowers of one tree to another.
Maasi Giraffe, South Luangwa National Park
Each giraffe has a unique coat
Just like our fingerprints, no two giraffe have the same coat pattern. Their markings help with camouflage and regulate their body temperature as the coloured skin patches help to dissipate heat around their body. Researchers can identify and study individuals by their coat patterns.
What is a group of giraffe called?
Giraffe are very social, roaming around in groups called ‘Towers’. Typically these comprise of females with their young, and smaller loosely associated ‘towers’ of males.
Are giraffe silent?
It had been thought that giraffe are very quiet mammals, not making noises, but research now suggests that they hum at night, occasionally snorting and grunting as well.
Can giraffe swim?
Giraffe were thought to be the only mammal in the world that could not swim, as their long, spindly legs would not provide them with enough purchase to support their neck whilst their short body reduced buoyancy. A study in 2010 used a complex digital model to prove that theoretically they can swim in water deeper than 2.8 metres. They would look strange, with their heavy front legs tipping them forward, and their head cranked backward to keep them from downing. You can read more about this theory in The Journal of Theology Biology.
Why do giraffe fight?
Young males play fight, whilst adult males fight to establish dominance, or compete to win the right to mate with a female. Males push and shove each other, butting their long necks and heads together – called ‘necking’. These fights can become very aggressive, with the loser walking away, being knocked out or sometimes even killed.
A Neck and Neck Battle – Nat Geo Wild
How do females give birth?
Females give birth standing up. A new born calf drops 1.5 metres onto the ground and is able to get up and walk within 30 minutes. It is thought that their long gestation period – 15 months – helps a calf become more developed in the womb, so it can stand and walk at a very young age. Calves are born with ‘horns’, called ‘ossicones’. To avoid injury during birth, these horns lie flat, only fusing and attaching to their skull as they grow.
How do giraffe sleep?
Despite their size, giraffe have the shortest sleep requirements of all mammals – only sleeping for less than 4 hours in a 24 hour period. They can nap whilst standing up and lying down. Calves lower themselves to the ground, tucking their legs beneath their bodies and rest their heads on their back. Adults have a similar style but sleep for shorter periods of a few minutes at a time, keeping alert for predators.
How long do giraffe live?
Giraffe can live for up to 25 years in the wild – and up to 40 years in captivity. Baby giraffe are very vulnerable, being an easy target for wild dogs, hyenas, lions and leopards, whilst an adult’s main predators are lions and humans! Giraffe are becoming increasingly endangered due to poaching and deforestation, with populations across Africa decreasing up to 40% over the last three decades.
Where can you spot giraffe in Zambia?
You can spot giraffe in the wild in South Luangwa, Mosi-au-Tunya, Sioma Ngwezu and Lusaka National Parks. You can also find them in many of the private game farms around the country.
Last Sunday was World Giraffe Day and we noticed there was some confusion on Facebook over whether our species of giraffe that we have here in Zambia are unique?
Research by the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) along with Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F) in Germany and other partners, has been unravelling the mystery of giraffe genetics and taxonomy across the African continent. They have collected almost 1,000 DNA samples from all the major giraffe populations and, after careful analysis, identified four distinct species of giraffe, with five subspecies:
All Giraffe Species and Subspecies & Population Numbers:
Looking at GCF’s results you might have thought that they had forgotten to test here in Zambia, but they did test – their results showed that astonishingly our Luangwa ‘Thornicroft’s’ giraffe are not a separate species, or subspecies, but they are genetically identical to Masai giraffe (Giraffa tippelskirchi), which are also found further north in East Africa.
So does this mean our Luangwa giraffe are no longer unique? GCF is continuing to analyse additional data to determine whether they might be a separate subspecies of Masai giraffe – so the simple answer is that they might still be unique, but not a totally separate species.
The IUCN’s Red List still shows their old taxonomy – listing them as Thornicroft’s, and being ‘Vulnerable’. This was based on their low numbers. It is thought that there are approximately 600 individuals found in only one geographical area. Due to conservation efforts by the DNPW and Conservation South Luangwa, their population has remained stable for the last three decades.
So does this mean they are no longer threatened in the wild? Not at all. Masai giraffe were once the most populous of all the giraffe species. Their numbers have dropped from 71,000 three decades ago, to less than 35,000 today – being listed as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List. They can being found in central and southern Kenya, Tanzania, and along with our isolated population in the Luangwa Valley, there is also a small population living in Rwanda. Overall their numbers are decreasing, so the continued conservation of our small isolated population is becoming increasingly more important.
What about our Southern giraffe?
Baby Southern Giraffe in Mosi-au-Tunya NP
The giraffe living in Mosi-au-Tunya, Sioma Ngwezi and Lusaka National Parks are Southern giraffe (Giraffa giraffa). These fall into two subspecies: Angolan (G. g. angolensis) and South Africa (G. g. giraffa). Last year GCF signed an agreement to start collating DNA samples to test and research which subspecies our Southern giraffe belong to – it is even thought that they might be a hybrid of the two!
By using advanced research techniques GCF is unravelling the mysteries of our giraffe. They might not turn out to be unique or endemic species, but with continuing analysis and research, GCF might find out that Zambia has new unique subspecies. And, along with Kenya, we might also be home to three subspecies of giraffe within Africa – which in itself is special, and all the more reason to celebrate and conserve these incredible gentle giants.
You can find out more information on the conservation of South Luangwa’s giraffes on Conservation South Luangwa’s website – www.cslzambia.org
