Kouré

Kouré

The town of Kouré is a rural community located approximately 60 kilometers east of Niamey, Niger's capital. The town sits on each side of the road from Niamey towards Dallol Bosso. The area is renowned for its population of West African Giraffes, which belong to an endemic subspecies of West Africa. In 1984, the giraffe population in Niger plummeted to a mere 50 animals. However, due to the diligent efforts of the Association to Safeguard Giraffes in Niger and its partners, the population has rebounded to approximately 170 giraffes. ASGN has worked closely with the local community, providing assistance in the form of bore holes, cereal banks, grain mills, seeds, and fertilizer to incentivize the protection of the giraffes, which have been known to cause damage to crops. Nonetheless, the giraffe population remains under threat due to the loss of the tiger bush habitat, which is progressively being cleared for agricultural purposes. To combat this, the African Wildlife Foundation has initiated reforestation efforts in the area. In August 2010, a tree nursery in Kouré successfully produced about 3,500 seedlings, and AWF has plans to create another nursery in the region.