Homeward bound: post-translocation homing behaviour of an Angolan giraffe in Namibia

Abstract

Measuring the short- and long-term success of a translocation is challenging but critical. With increasing artificial movements of wildlife within and between African countries, understanding the results of such translocations is valuable. Translocations are an increasingly common conservation management tool to reverse biodiversity loss through re-populating, augmenting and/or expanding populations, especially for giraffe (Giraffa spp.). In southern Namibia, we used GPS satellite tags to monitor the movement of six Angolan giraffe (G. giraffa angolensis) post-translocation. We report the first known ‘homing behaviour’ of a giraffe post-translocation (155 days and 893.65 km). We hope our results will help guide future large-mammal translocation strategies. Decision making should be based on shared knowledge, and increasing our understanding of translocation efforts is key.