Giraffe Habitat
All About The Giraffe Habitat
The giraffe habitat extends over a good portion of Africa, from just south of the Sahara region to the southern part of the continent. These animals prefer more open areas, such as grasslands and savannas. Their principle source of food is the acacia tree, which is found in these areas. Although not related to the camel, the giraffe can drink large quantities of water at one time, and also get much of their moisture from the leaves they eat. Consequently, they can survive in dry areas where water can be found, but is not necessarily plentiful. While they are most often observed in more open country, giraffes are found in quite a variety of different habitats, including dense woodlands, where they will venture if necessary, in search of food.
There are nine recognized sub-species of giraffe, and a look at where these different sub-species can be found, gives one a good idea of the very wide area encompassing the giraffe habitat. It also gives a clue as to why the giraffe population, while decreasing in some areas, has held its own, and even increased, in others. The giraffe does not depend upon a very narrowly defined environment as some other animals do. There are several sub-species living in north and east Africa, including the Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda. Other subspecies are found in central and west Africa, including Cameroon, Niger, and the Congo. Still more roam in the southern part of the continent, including South Africa, Angola, Namibia, and Zambia. The giraffe is protected in all of these areas, better in some areas than in others, but the population is relatively stable throughout the giraffe habitat.
Many giraffes are now at home in national parks, while others are still threatened by loss of their natural habitat, as land is cleared, or the trees they depend upon are cut down and used for firewood. The destruction of their habitat appears to be more prevalent in western Africa, while the countries in the eastern and southern parts of the continent are doing a better job of protecting the animal. The giraffe population, spread over its entire habitat, is thought to be around 150,000, with Kenya and Tanzania accounting for nearly half that number.
Because giraffe habitat is to some extent rather varied from place to place, the giraffe is not as threatened, as some other species, by the encroachment of humans. As one example, the introduction of cattle to their habitat has not had much effect, simply because the giraffe can reach food that the cattle cannot. Even where acacia trees, their favorite meal source, are becoming in short supply, the giraffe can subsist on other vegetation. It can do quite well on a diet of twigs, branches, grasses, fruits and vegetables. Certainly reach is not a problem! Human desire to protect these magnificent animals also has had much to do with their continued survival.