Environmental influences and habitat associations of reticulated giraffes as revealed by camera traps
Abstract
Camera trapping has been used in recent years as a means of assessing species population
size and distributions, habitat use, and behavior, thus facilitating knowledge and
protection of wildlife and natural ecosystems. One disadvantage of camera trapping
is recording false absences, whereby the species is present but not detected by the
camera. Dynamic occupancy modeling can be used as an accurate method to address this
bias and produce reliable estimates of site occupancy, colonization rates, and extinction
rates. These metrics are critical for applications in long-term monitoring programs
and meta-population studies and can contribute to species conservation efforts. This
study utilizes camera trapping images from Loisaba Conservancy, Laikipia, Kenya between
2016 and 2017. The objectives of this study are threefold: (1) to utilize dynamic
occupancy modeling to assess the habitat and environmental correlates influencing
the probability of reticulated giraffe occurrence at camera trap sites, (2) to assess
whether the presence of livestock displaces giraffe, and (3) to assess the habitat
and environmental covariates that impact the presence or absence of giraffe at camera
trap sites. This study found that the most significant predictor of declining giraffe
presence was year, potentially as a result of the severe drought Kenya experienced
in 2017. I also present evidence that giraffes do avoid locations that have recently
been occupied by livestock. Understanding the environmental influences and habitat
associations of reticulated giraffes is critical for providing information about population
changes over time and the factors driving those changes. Thus, this information will
increase ecological knowledge of the reticulated giraffe and subsequently aid in their
conservation.
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/22646Citation
Egna, Nicole (2021). Environmental influences and habitat associations of reticulated giraffes as revealed
by camera traps. Master's project, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/22646.Collections
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