The critically endangered Kordofan giraffe receives help from above
Bristol scientists and Bristol Zoo are collaborating to use drones and machine learning to save an endangered subspecies of giraffe in Cameroon.
Kordofan giraffe population numbers are dwindling drastically, with less than 2000 individuals thought to be distributed across West Central Africa. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the Kordofan giraffe as ‘critically endangered’ on its Red List. If no conservation efforts are taken, this subspecies of giraffe will likely go extinct.
Cameroon has classified the Kordofan giraffe as a Class A species protected under wildlife law. However, they are still threatened by agricultural habitat loss, illegal wildlife poaching, and the politically unstable areas they inhabit. One population of interest constitutes an estimated 20-30 individuals in Benoué National Park in Cameroon.
However, unstable conditions make Benoué National Park unsafe for conservation scientists to access; therefore we…