Original Story Published by: Staff Writer for African Parks
Photo Source: ©African Parks (PRNewsfoto/African Parks)
(Above) Giraffe in Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi.
Thirteen giraffe have been released into Malawi's Majete Wildlife Reserve, African Parks and Giraffe Conservation Foundation announced on Monday, 19th November. Nine hail from South Africa and travelled 2,500 km by road in one of the longest translocations of this kind. They and four giraffe already living in Malawi represent a new population for Majete-and Malawi. The introduction boosts the reserve's biodiversity while helping tourism to enhance the already emerging conservation-led economy and to support community development.
While southern Africa has a robust giraffe population, few are present in Malawi; this translocation brings national giraffe numbers to just over 30. Broadly, giraffe populations have plummeted in recent decades, with habitat loss, civil unrest and illegal hunting reducing Africa's population to fewer than 100,000 animals. This introduction comes at a crucial time: on 14th November, the IUCN Red List announced that several giraffe subspecies are critically endangered. The translocation of South African giraffe to Majete aims to establish a viable population that will support giraffe conservation across the region.
To read the full article, visit PR Newswire.
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