The Rothschild's Giraffe Project

The Rothschild’s Giraffe Project is undertaking the first ever scientific research on the Rothschild's giraffe in the wild. We currently know nothing of its wild behaviour and ecology and as a result, cannot formulate effective conservation strategies.

The Rothschild's Giraffe Project will address this significant gap in scientific knowledge and provide the first scientific review of this Endangered giraffe in the wild, whilst also contributing to the paucity of knowledge of wild giraffe in general.

Specifically, the research will assess;

• Key ecological and habitat requirements
• Group size, structure and dispersal
• Behaviour and affecting factors
• Social structure, including social network analysis and assessment of inter-individual associations
• Determine the basis of herd formation including the impact of relatedness
• Identification of key requirements that will enable successful conservation in the future

All results will be fed back to the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF), International Giraffe Working Group (IGWG), wildlife managers and other interested parties to ensure the development and implementation of apropriate conservation strategies.

The Rothschild’s Giraffe Project is also working with the Kenya Wildlife Service to develop the National Giraffe Conservation Strategy for Kenya - this is the first ever conservation strategy to focus purely on giraffe conservationon a national scale.