Rangers play a vital role in conservation management and protection. As part of ensuring the safety of wildlife, rangers are tasked with investigating scenes such as this for possible poaching activities. Responsible for apprehending any perpetrators of wildlife crimes, it is up to the ranger to determine whether an animal has been killed illegally or if it has died of natural causes.
Healthy adult giraffe are less vulnerable to being killed by predators because they are so large, are fast runners and have excellent vision. So, they can often make an escape well before the predators are upon them. In fact, giraffe are the sentinels of the herbivorous species in Africa. Due to their height and their good vision, they warn other species of approaching danger, so animals like zebra and impala can also escape. And, if they are attacked, they can defend themselves very well with their legs. Their kick can be deadly or leave predators severely injured.
However, humans sadly covet giraffe tails in many parts of Africa, and their hairs are also used in fly swats, bracelets and sewing. Their meat and hides are sought after as well as their brains and bone marrow in traditional medicines.
Armed with this knowledge and a lot more, the rangers check for poaching activity, as it is quite possible that this giraffe was caught up in a snare. Here, ranger Estevao decides that this one is down to natural causes so the carcass is left where it is for nature to take its course. Sadly, around 75 percent of all young giraffe don’t survive to adulthood due to predation, making it one of the highest mortality rates in southern Africa.
What is interesting about giraffe is that no one really knows how long they live in the wild, as there is no recorded evidence. The Giraffe Conservation Foundation, a partner of Peace Parks Foundation, believes they can live to around 25 years. In their long-term conservation project in northwest Namibia they identified some giraffe as sub-adults in 2 000 that are still alive today, making them some of the oldest recorded giraffe in the wild.
