Formerly the most numerous giraffe subspecies, with an estimated 71,000 individuals three and a half decades ago, only 43,200 Masai giraffe (Giraffa tippelskirchi tippelskirchi) now remain in the wild. Classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List in 2018, they range across Tanzania, as well as central and southern Kenya.
Masai giraffe is Tanzania’s national animal and appropriately so, home to the largest population. However, increased human population and settlements, conversion of land to agriculture, bushmeat poaching, drought, and traditional medicine all pose significant threats to Masai giraffe.
Through a Memorandum of Understanding with the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI), the Giraffe Conservation Foundation helped develop the first-ever Tanzania National Giraffe Conservation Strategy and Action Plan. This strategy aims to broaden understanding and awareness of giraffe conservation in Tanzania, and to reduce threats to giraffe populations and their habitats while increasing benefits to people.
The Giraffe Conservation Foundation actively supports the implementation of Tanzania’s National Giraffe Conservation Strategy. In February 2020, in partnership with TAWIRI, Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA), and the Wildlife Conservation Alliance, GPS satellite units were deployed on giraffe as part of our Africa-wide Twiga Tracker initiative. The data has helped to understand their seasonal movement patterns and habitat use, as well as identified potential transboundary landscapes to protect.
With such a large Masai giraffe population, conservation in Tanzania is critical. Our work spans from targeted giraffe population surveys to environmental education for children, from conservation health assessing giraffe skin disease to country-wide genomic analysis. Supporting local conservation partners such as the Tanzania Research and Conservation Organization (TRCO) and Traditional Ecosystems Survival Tanzania (TEST), the Giraffe Conservation Foundation supports building a long-term future for giraffe conservation in the country.
