{"id":241,"date":"2019-08-28T05:49:16","date_gmt":"2019-08-28T05:49:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dereklee.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=241"},"modified":"2019-08-28T05:58:06","modified_gmt":"2019-08-28T05:58:06","slug":"baby-giraffes-hide-in-bushes-from-natural-predators-but-have-a-mixed-relationship-with-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/dereklee\/241\/baby-giraffes-hide-in-bushes-from-natural-predators-but-have-a-mixed-relationship-with-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Baby Giraffes Hide in Bushes from Natural Predators but Have a Mixed Relationship With People"},"content":{"rendered":"

ARUSHA, Tanzania\u2013Masai giraffes are the world\u2019s tallest herbivores and beloved by people around the globe, but were recently classified as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). New research published in Oecologia<\/em><\/a> showed how food, predators, and people all influence giraffe social behavior. In particular, the international team of researchers from University of Z\u00fcrich and Penn State University pinpointed the special requirements needed by mother giraffes to keep their babies safe, which can help land managers to protect the places most important for giraffes.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike all herbivores, giraffes need to find quality food to survive, but also need to avoid lions, or at least see them coming,\u201d noted Monica Bond, PhD candidate at the Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Z\u00fcrich, and lead author of the paper. \u201cGiraffes in our huge, unfenced study area can choose from among many different places to spend their time \u2013 places with different kinds of trees and bushes, and places deep inside protected parks or closer to farming towns or ranchlands where people live. There are lots of options in this landscape, including fewer lions outside the parks versus inside. So we wondered, how do these options influence giraffe grouping behavior? These data helps us know what places are most important for these magnificent animals.\u201d The study found that groups composed of adult giraffes were food-focused, not affected by predation risk. Adults formed the largest groups, up to 66 individuals, in the rainy season when food is plentiful, but smaller groups during the dry season when food is harder to find. In contrast, predation risk was a very important factor influencing congregations with calves.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A Group of Giraffes at Manyara Ranch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cGiraffe calves are vulnerable to being killed by lions and other carnivores, while adults are typically large enough to escape predation,\u201d stated senior author Barbara K\u00f6nig, professor at the University of Z\u00fcrich. \u201cWe were testing hypotheses about mother and calf behavior to see if their strategy was for calves to hide in thick bushes to avoid predators, be in the open to see predators coming, or be in large groups for many eyes and lower individual risk.\u201d The researchers documented that in areas with the most lions, groups with calves were found more often in dense bushes than open grasslands, and those groups were smaller in size. This suggests giraffe mothers and calves have a strategy of hiding in dense bushes, rather than staying in open areas to better see lions, or gathering in large groups to dilute the predation risk. These results mean that dense bushlands are important habitat for giraffe calves and should be protected. Some cattle ranchers promote shrub removal to encourage grass for their livestock, but they share the rangelands with giraffes and other browsers that use shrubs.<\/p>\n

The study also explored the influence of humans on giraffe grouping behaviors. \u201cOutside the parks the human population has been rapidly expanding in recent years,\u201d said Derek Lee, associate research professor of biology at Penn State University and co-author of the study. \u201cTherefore, we felt it was important to understand how human presence affected grouping behavior, as natural giraffe habitat is ever-more dominated by people.\u201d Interestingly, adult females with calves were more likely to be found closer to traditional pastoralist compounds called bomas, made by livestock-keeping, non-farming people. \u201cWe suspect this is because the pastoralists may disrupt predator behaviors to protect their livestock\u2014and this benefits the giraffe calves,\u201d noted Lee. Conversely, calf groups avoided areas close to farming peoples\u2019 towns, suggesting a difference between traditional bomas versus more densely populated human settlements for giraffe mothers seeking food and safety for themselves and their calves.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were happy to find that traditional human settlements by ranchers appear to be compatible with the persistence of giraffe populations,\u201d stated Bond. \u201cBut on the other hand, disturbances around towns likely represents a threat and should be limited in areas favored by giraffes.\u201d The study was part of the world\u2019s largest giraffe research project and used data from six years of systematic seasonal surveys across a 2,000 square kilometer area. Learn more about giraffe research and conservation at http:\/\/www.wildnatureinstitute.org\/giraffe.html<\/a><\/p>\n

What you can do to help save giraffes:<\/p>\n