Giraffe in Masai Mara

The giraffe population of Kenya's Masai Mara reserve has declined by up to 95% because of increased human settlement around the unfenced park, according to a new study.
Scientists at the Nairobi-based International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) found that the numbers of giraffes, hartebeest, impala, warthogs, topis and waterbuck all fell "markedly and persistently" throughout the 1,500 sq km reserve between 1989 and 2003. Their sample counts were backed by government population estimates that showed actual losses as high as 95% for giraffes, 80% for wart­hogs and 76% for hartebeest for the period dating back to 1979.
The authors of the study, which was funded by the WWF and will be published in the British Journal of Zoology in May, say it presents the most detailed evidence yet of the rapid decline of ungulate, or hoofed, animals in the Mara, in south-western Kenya.
The main reason for the population decrease was the rapid expansion of human settlements on the land next to the reserve. The area was traditionally used by wild animals for seasonal grazing but is increasingly being turned over to livestock and crop production.
"The situation we documented paints a bleak picture and requires urgent and decisive action if we want to save this treasure from disaster," said Joseph Ogutu, a statistical ecologist at ILRI and lead author of the study. "If nothing is done, these declines will not just continue but accelerate as the human populations around the reserve increase."
The Mara reserve sits at the top of the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, which hosts the spectacular annual migration of up to 2 million wildebeest and other animals. Bordering the park is an area known as the Mara ranchlands, which is mainly home to the Masai ethnic group.