Association to Safeguard Giraffes in Niger

The Association to Safeguard Giraffes in Niger (ASGN, L'Association de sauvegarde des girafes du Niger) is an organization formed to help the giraffes of Niger, including ensuring the preservation of their habitat in the face of devastating agricultural expansion. The ASGN was founded by French ethologist Isabelle Ciofolo in 1994 with the objective of saving the last population of West African Giraffes in Niger, a highly endangered species. When the society was formed there were only 50 individuals of the species surviving in the country. The ASGN managed to obtain the establishment of a protected zone for giraffes in the Kouré region within which all poaching is prohibited. The society encourages eco-tourism, employing local people as far as possible. By 2007 a total of 164 giraffes were counted in the park. ASGN has engaged in protecting giraffe habitats, educating the local community about giraffes, extending microloans, and offering other forms of assistance to villagers within the giraffe-inhabited areas. It has also participated in an annual giraffe census. ASGN and its partners have assisted the local community with boreholes, cereal banks, grain mills, seeds and fertilizer to encourage them to protect the giraffes, which can be destructive to crops. However, the population of giraffes is threatened by loss of its habitat, the tiger bush, which is gradually being cleared for agriculture. The African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) partners with the ASGN in conservation efforts. The AWF is helping with reforestation. In August 2010, a tree nursery in Kouré produced about 3,500 seedlings. AWF planned to establish another nursery in the area in 2011.