This archive report was first published on 24 June 2020.
Published on June 24, 2020, a study by the University of Zurich and the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour has shed light on the impact of human activity on giraffe social bonds.
Researchers tracked the social networks of 1,139 individual adult female Maasai giraffes in Tarangire, northern Tanzania, over six years. The study found that giraffe communities closer to human settlements exhibit weaker relationship strengths and are more exclusive in their associations.
According to the study, living near human settlements disrupts the social networks of giraffes, leading to weaker bonds with other giraffes and fewer interactions with other members of the species.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified the giraffe as 'vulnerable,' with Maasai giraffe populations declining by 50 percent over the past 30 years due to factors such as poaching, habitat loss, and predation.
The study's findings suggest that human presence could play a significant role in determining the conservation future of this megaherbivore.
