Murchison’s Falls National park at the centre of new
Rothschild giraffe research effort
A new research project is being launched in Uganda’s
Murchison Falls National Park to research, document and perform genetic
analysis on the Rothschild’s giraffe, the tallest creature on earth, dapper in
white knee socks (no spotting on the lower leg), and notable for its grace,
winsomeness and beautiful patterning. Of the nine recognized giraffe sub-species,
the Rothschild’s is one of the most imperilled, with fewer than 1100
individuals remaining in the wild. It has been declared an endangered species
by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and as being
of high conservation priority. Murchison Falls National Park is home to the
last endemic population of this once abundant animal, all other surviving
populations have been reintroduced, and often in areas where they never were
originally.
The project is spearheaded by the Giraffe Conservation
Foundation (GCF) and will be led by their conservation scientist Dr. Julian
Fennessy, a Namibia-based Australian who is also Co-Chair of the IUCN SSC
Giraffe and Okapi Specialist Group (GOSG), and fellow GCF trustees and
researchers Andy Tutchings, a Germany-based British national and Fellow of the
Royal Geographic Society, and Stephanie Fennessy, a Namibia-based German, both
also members of the GOSG. Working closely with the Ugandan Wildlife Authority,
the team’s local-based researcher will be Henry Opio from the Ugandan Wildlife
Education Centre.
Despite low population figures and its endangered status,
little is known about the Rothschild’s giraffe in the wild, an issue that must
be addressed to develop and implement effective conservation strategies. To
this end, the Project seeks to provide the first scientific review of the
Rothschild’s ecology, behaviour and habitat requirements in Uganda; essential
information for the development and implementation of meaningful conservation initiatives.
These include the provision of technical support and funding, data sharing and
results for a comprehensive approach to giraffe conservation.
The group will be hosted by Marasa Africa at their Paraa
Safari Lodge located near the Nile crossing inside the Murchison Falls National
Park. Located high on the river bank the lodge overlooks one of nature’s best
kept secrets, the River Nile, on its journey from its source at Lake Victoria
to join Lake Albert. It is inside the park where it is suddenly channelled into
a gorge only six meters wide, and cascades down the rocks into a white water
inferno 48 meters below. When standing on top of the falls the earth literally
trembles as one is only a few feet away from one of the world’s most powerful
flows of water. 
For the last stage of the initial data collection the
research team will move to the Chobe Safari Lodge widely known in Uganda for
its Giraffe sightings close to the lodge. Located in the Murchison Falls
National Park, this Five Star lodge is undoubtedly the gem in Uganda's crown of
tourism destinations. The breath-taking panoramic views, coupled with the
sounds of the River Nile's magnificent rapids, sets the scene for an adventure
that will impress even the most discerning of visitors.
Chobe Safari Lodge offers a unique opportunity to sample the
wildlife, birds, flora and fauna; all in an area of the park that has yet to be
discovered. This area of Murchison Falls National Park is ideal for fishing,
and will revive this newly refurbished lodge to become one of the best fishing
destinations in Africa.
Information regarding the project from Giraffe Conservation
Foundation (GCF)
http://www.giraffeconservation.org/index.php
Once free ranging across western Kenya, southern Sudan and
Uganda, the Rothschild’s giraffe has been almost totally eliminated from much
of its former range. Despite the low and steadily declining figures across all
Rothschild’s giraffe populations, there has never been any scientific study of
the Rothschild’s giraffe in Uganda and its natural range – even though this
(sub)species is heavily represented in captivity internationally. In Kenya, all
known wild populations of Rothschild’s giraffe have been extirpated by
agricultural development with remnant populations now confined to national
parks, private reserves and other protected areas where they have been
trans located. These remaining populations are isolated from one another and
unable to interbreeding.
The vulnerability of the Rothschild’s giraffe is highlighted
by recent phylogenetic studies. There is considerable uncertainty surrounding
the geographic and taxonomic limits of giraffe (sub)species, but it has
preliminarily determined that G. c. rothschildi is separate and distinct from
other giraffe (sub)species, having split from other giraffe around 0.27 million
years ago. The Rothschild’s giraffe therefore represents a unique genetic
lineage that should be afforded the highest priority for conservation of
giraffe biodiversity, in particular the only natural and viable population in
Murchison Falls National Park.
The programme will begin in the field in August 2013
although considerable desktop research and development has already begun. It
aims to establish a long-term research initiative in Uganda coordinated by
local Ugandan researchers in collaboration with the Uganda Wildlife Authority
and GCF:
·
To develop the first long-term research
initiative on the only natural and viable Rothschild’s giraffe population.
·
To provide the first ever scientific review and
country-wide status assessment of Rothschild’s giraffe in Uganda.
·
To collect giraffe DNA material for on-going
genetic analysis and research of the giraffe species.
To identify the key ecological requirements of the
Rothschild’s giraffe in Murchison Falls National Park so that new areas can be
identified as recommendations for future translocation and establishment of new
populations.
To provide scientific input and support to the development
of a national conservation strategy for Rothschild’s giraffe in Uganda in
collaboration with the Uganda Wildlife Authority.
For more information on the Giraffe Conservation Foundation
(GCF), go to: www.giraffeconservation.org
. For information about Marasa Africa or reservations at Paraa Safari Lodge or
Chobe Safari Lodge, contact www.premiersafaris.com
or go to their website at www.marasa.net
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