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Resting is an integral component of animal behavior, contributing to one's fitness through careful optimization strategies. In large herbivores, resting periods are driven by availability of food, presence of predators, and thermoregulation. A combination of these drivers leads to high variability in resting behaviors and their time allocation throughout the day. However, these drivers are rarely evaluated in the wild. Megaherbivores, including giraffe (Giraffa spp.), adopt social resting strategies, which enable them to optimize the cost–benefit ratio, with rest and vigilance varying with group size and composition. We investigated resting behavior of the West African giraffe (G. camelopardalis peralta) living in a human-populated landscape dominated by agropastoralism activities in Niger. Through direct observation, we evaluated the influence of group size and composition, and presence of livestock and humans on giraffe resting behavior. We concluded that giraffe increased their resting time with shorter distance to other giraffe and livestock. Livestock did not negatively impact giraffe behavior; rather, they provided a kind of "safe environment". Human presence resulted in only minor changes in vigilance of giraffe and did not significantly affect their resting time. Our findings highlight a positive instance of human–giraffe coexistence in a human-dominated landscape, attributed to the long-term benefits of conservation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This review focuses on the West African giraffe and summarizes their past and present conservation management activities. It evaluates their impact to advise and prioritize future conservation actions moving forward. This review covers monitoring and annual censuses, local community engagement, habitat use, and translocation. Recommendations for the long-term conservation of the West African giraffe are provided as a summary. The West African giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis peralta) was historically spread across much of the Sudano-Sahelian zone but is now restricted to Niger. Several factors resulted in their dramatic decline during the late 20th century. In 1996, only 49 individuals remained, concentrated in the 'Giraffe Zone'. Conservation activities implemented by the Government of Niger, supported by local communities and NGOs, facilitated their population numbers to increase. This review summarizes past and present conservation activities and evaluates their impact to advise and prioritize future conservation actions for the West African giraffe. The long-term conservation of the West African giraffe is highly dependent on the local communities who live alongside them, as well as supplementary support from local and international partners. Recent conservation initiatives range from community-based monitoring to the fitting of GPS satellite tags to better understand their habitat use, spatial movements to expansion areas, and environmental education to the establishment of the first satellite population of West African giraffe in Gadabedji Biosphere Reserve, the latter serving as a flagship for the future restoration of large mammal populations in West Africa. The integration of modern technologies and methods will hopefully provide better-quality data, improved spatial analyses, and greater understanding of giraffe ecology to inform the long-term management of West African giraffe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local communities play a key role in the sustainability of any conservation program. We evaluated the impact of an environmental education program for school children in the surroundings of the Delta du Saloum Biosphere reserve (Senegal) dedicated to the conservation of African charismatic fauna with the critically endangered Western Derby eland as a conservation flagship. Questionnaires evaluating knowledge and attitudes were filled in by children before and after the program in 2008 and 2009. We found a significant increase in knowledge that carries the potential to support conservation activities of protected area management. This knowledge alone is, however, not enough to change behavior and attitudes, proving the need to approach the problem in context of a complex, targeted awareness campaign.

The West African giraffe ( Giraffa camelopardalis peralta ) was historically spread across much of the Sudano-Sahelian zone but is now restricted to Niger. Several factors resulted in their dramatic decline during the late 20th century. In 1996, only 49 individuals remained, concentrated in the 'Giraffe Zone'. Conservation activities implemented by the Government of Niger, supported by local communities and NGOs, facilitated their population numbers to increase. This review summarizes past and present conservation activities and evaluates their impact to advise and prioritize future conservation actions for the West African giraffe. The long-term conservation of the West African giraffe is highly dependent on the local communities who live alongside them, as well as supplementary support from local and international partners. Recent conservation initiatives range from community-based monitoring to the fitting of GPS satellite tags to better understand their habitat use, spatial movements to expansion areas, and environmental education to the establishment of the first satellite population of West African giraffe in Gadabedji Biosphere Reserve, the latter serving as a flagship for the future restoration of large mammal populations in West Africa. The integration of modern technologies and methods will hopefully provide better-quality data, improved spatial analyses, and greater understanding of giraffe ecology to inform the long-term management of West African giraffe.