Giraffe: a flagship for conservation in rural KZN

Giraffes are undoubtedly one of the most iconic megafauna species on the planet. Indeed, when you close your eyes and think of Africa, it is quite often that quintessential scene of a tower of giraffes drifting gracefully across the Serengeti plains that springs to mind.

And when you ask people which animals they would most like to see in Africa, giraffes normally feature in the top three. And yet…

Giraffes have been completely overlooked from a conservation point of view. You see, giraffes are not just one species. In fact, there are several species and subspecies which make up a group of animals that boast the most extraordinary evolution (neck vertebra) of all animals on Earth – ever. That is quite special.

And to think we are on the verge of losing some of this extraordinary diversity. Habitat transformation has resulted in Africa losing between 30% – 90% of the four giraffe species over the last three and a half decades.

The Northern Giraffe has already gone locally extinct in several African countries. We have more mountain gorillas in Africa than some subspecies of giraffe.

Thankfully the Southern Giraffe (the one we get here in SA) are doing a lot better than their northerly counterparts. Populations here are on the increase, largely due to conservation efforts of private and provincial conservation authorities.

Perhaps one of the most remarkable of these conservation success stories lies in the remote and unfenced wilderness of the Tugela Canyon in central KZN. Here local communities and privately owned conservation areas have come together to create a 6,000 ha giraffe conservancy – home to possibly the largest free-ranging population of giraffes in South Africa.

Numbers have grown from 20 to over 140 individuals over the last three decades necessitating the formation of a giraffe-focused conservation program which has drawn attention from universities and colleges from all over the world.

Due to the extremely rugged terrain almost all research and conservation happens on foot. Over the years more than 100 miles of trail have been established which has become very popular with mountain bikers, trail runners and hikers.

If you are active, enjoy the outdoors and are keen on conservation, why not come and spend a couple of hours or days exploring some breathtaking scenery along the Tugela River and help us keep an eye on these amazing animals, as they wander around a truly vast wilderness area, probably the last of its kind in KZN?

Three of the four species of giraffe have suffered extreme population decline with the Northern Giraffe leading the way with over 90% reduction, the Reticulated Giraffe with 80% reduction and the Masai Giraffe with a 60% reduction over the last three and a half decades.

• This article written by Peter Calverley was first published in the first edition of The Drakensberg Magazine 
• The image at the top of the page is of Dobby, one of the adult male giraffes on Zingela (Photo: Cody Rose Photography)
• For more information on the Giraffe Conservation Project please contact Peter at zingela@zingelasafaris.co.za