Bristol Zoo conservationists in new effort to save giraffes

Conservationists from Bristol Zoological Society have received funding for technology to help patrols protect critically endangered giraffes in Cameroon.

They are spearheading a new project in which eco-guards working in Bénoué National Park will be trained to use smartphones with SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool) software.

This groundbreaking programme has been developed by an international partnership of conservationists and is used across the world to collect data on patrols and record illegal activities, such as hunting and mining.

It helps conservationists pinpoint areas to target and assess rangers’ performance. A total of 35 eco-guards will be trained to use it initially in Bénoué National Park with more following them in the coming year.

Marking Endangered Species Day (May 21) Conservationist Dr Caspian Johnson, from Bristol Zoological Society, said: “This will hopefully lead to a drop in illegal hunting and gold mining and result in a new patrol standard for protected areas in northern Cameroon, which have been largely underfunded.”

Bristol Zoological Society has supported the national park service in Cameroon since 2016 and has paid for more than 1,000 eco-guard days of patrols just in the past year to try to combat the loss of Kordofan giraffe.

It is estimated there are now fewer than 2,000 Kordofan giraffe across their range in West and Central Africa, with possibly only 30 individuals in Bénoué National Park.

The subspecies is now listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Dr Johnson said: “Without proper support, the Kordofan giraffe could disappear from this park, which has already lost African wild dogs and black rhinos. 

“But thanks to a species recovery fund grant from the National Geographic Society we hope to reverse these trends by turning patrols into SMART patrols.”

Dr Johnson said the use of SMART technology will mean the patrols will become far more effective and set a new patrol standard for protected areas in northern Cameroon. This has been shown to work in other protected areas in southern Cameroon and around the world.

Bristol Zoological Society has worked closely with authorities in Bénoué National Park and the local Conservation Service to reduce threats to Kordofan giraffes.

Visitors to Wild Place project can learn more about this project in Cameroon at the giraffe exhibit where three giraffes live in a recreation of part of Bénoué National Park.

These are reticulated giraffes, which are found across northern and north-eastern Kenya, and in southern Somalia and southern Ethiopia, and are also under threat.

In total the number of giraffes in the wild have fallen from 140,000 to less than 80,000 in just 15 years. There are now fewer giraffes left in the wild than African elephants.

Wild Place Project and Bristol Zoo Gardens are run by Bristol Zoological Society, which is a conservation and education charity and relies on the generous support of the public not only to fund its important work at both zoos, but also its vital education and community outreach programme.

In March last year the Society launched the BZS Appeal to ensure the future of its work ‘saving wildlife together’ following the temporary closure of both its sites in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

As school groups can now be welcomed back to both zoos, donations from the appeal fund will support the Education Bursary Fund, to ensure schools and youth groups in disadvantaged areas are able to benefit from visiting Bristol Zoo Gardens and Wild Place Project.

To find out more, or to make a donation, visit https://bristolzoo.org.uk/bzsappeal.