Drone technology: tracking the world's rarest giraffe

There are thought to be less than 2000 Kordofan giraffe left in the wild Credit: Bristol Zoological Society

Experts from Bristol's Zoological Society are using drones to track some of the rarest giraffes in the world - as part of new efforts to save one of the few remaining populations.

The Central African or Kordofan giraffe is a subspecies found only in northern Cameroon, southern Chad, and the Central African Republic.

Their numbers are described as critically low.

Researchers will use drone technology to map the movements of Central African giraffes in Cameroon.

They want to find out whether there is a sustainable population of this highly threatened giraffe subspecies that they can work to conserve and help save from extinction.

At the moment there is no active conservation project aimed solely at this kind of giraffe.

The survey will focus on the Bénoué National Park in Cameroon – a UNESCO designated biosphere reserve.

Very little is currently known about the range and population of giraffe in Cameroon - the drone surveys should prove vital in planning a way to help population numbers recover.