ACC is leading an innovative research program in partnership with Maasai land associations, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF), the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), and other conservation partners that tracks endangered Maasai giraffes by satellite using solar-powered tracking units placed on the giraffes' ossicones (horns), a process known as collaring. The project is made possible through funding from UNDP-GEF program.
Through collaring, MGRCP is assessing the current status, trends, seasonal movements, habitat utilization, home ranges and conservation prospects for populations of Maasai giraffe in southern Kenya based on long-term ecological monitoring. The collected data is used to map the minimum viable area for the Amboseli and South Rift populations and corridors for connecting Maasai giraffe populations across southern Kenya and northern Tanzania.
MGRCP is also preparing conservation strategies and action plans in support of the National Recovery and Action Plan for Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) in Kenya (2018 – 2022) and similar plans in Tanzania. This research will provide the first picture of detailed giraffe movement vital for conservation planning and protection, including anti-poaching operations and mitigating the impact of infrastructural developments.
