Somali Giraffe - Predators and Threats

Predators and Threats

Due to their formidable size and ability to spot danger, giraffe have very few predators but are regularly preyed upon by lions and less so by crocodiles and spotted hyena. Humans are one very real threat to giraffe, although efforts are being made to help conserve them. Giraffe are killed by poachers for their hair and skin. Giraffe have very thick, sturdy hair that is highly sought after for bracelets and rope. Some villages in Sudan legally serve giraffe meat. Currently, there are about 100,000 giraffe roaming Africa, although some subspecies are almost completely gone, with fewer than 100 individuals. Giraffe have to deal with the Tsetse fly, which land on them and suck blood. Tsetse flies are also carriers of sleeping sickness, a dangerous disease to humans. Giraffe can use their powerful tails to swat the flies and get some relief from the pest. Giraffe have a symbiotic relationship with a few types of birds, most notably the oxpecker. These birds perch on the backs of giraffe, and alert them to possible predators. Oxpeckers also eat mites and dirt off the giraffe, keeping them clean. However, the oxpecker can irritate other wounds by pecking at them, too. Epidemics have also affected giraffe. The worst one, according to scientist Anne Dagg, was rinderpest, which killed hundreds of giraffe in the 1880s (see 1890s African rinderpest epizootic). The epidemic continues to arise in small bursts; one in the 1960s wiped out half of the giraffe population of Kenya.