An Assessment of Forage Selection by Giraffe Introduced into Umfurudzi Park, Northern Zimbabwe
Table 3
Seasonal availability and accessibility of woody plant species browsed by giraffes in Umfurudzi Park.
Species name
Family
Dry season
Wet season
Availability
Acceptability
Availability
Acceptability
A. karroo
Fabaceae
0.50
0.35
0.42
0.10
C. hereroense
Combretaceae
0.19
0.60
0.25
0.05
C. molle
Combretaceae
0.33
0.23
0.55
0.00
C. apiculatum
Combretaceae
0.13
0.36
0.13
1.00
C. imberbe
Combretaceae
0.08
0.75
0.04
0.03
C. erythrophyllum
Combretaceae
0.14
0.53
0.05
0.04
F. virosa
Phyllanthaceae
0.00
0.00
0.10
0.07
P. thonningii
Fabaceae
0.08
0.44
0.00
0.00
P. maprouneifolia
Phyllanthaceae
0.48
0.19
0.00
0.00
O. africana
Oleaceae
0.00
0.00
0.44
0.03
V. infausta
Rubiaceae
0.43
0.13
0.00
0.00
Z. mucronata
Rhamnaceae
0.11
0.75
0.00
0.00
Note. Dry season represents May to October and wet season represents November and December. Numbers in bold represent the woody plant species which were highly selected.
