Mitochondrial DNA analyses show that Z ambia's S outh L uangwa V alley giraffe ( G iraffa camelopardalis thornicrofti ) are genetically isolated

Thornicroft's giraffe, G iraffa camelopardalis thornicrofti , is a geographically isolated subspecies of giraffe found only in north‐east Z ambia. The population only occurs in Z ambia's S outh L uangwa V alley, an area which interestingly places it between the current distribution of Masai ( G . c. tippelskirchi ) giraffe to the north, and the A ngolan ( G . c. angolensis ) and S outh A frican ( G . c. giraffa ) giraffe in the south‐west and south, respectively. Specific studies have been undertaken on the ecology of this subspecies, but their population genetics remains unknown. We studied 34 individuals from the S outh L uangwa N ational P ark and adjacent L upande G ame M anagement A rea and seven individuals from northern B otswana. The complete cytochrome b and control region sequences of the mitochondrial genome were sequenced and analysed together with database data by maximum likelihood tree reconstruction and maximum parsimony network analyses. The giraffe from Z ambia's S outh L uangwa V alley are most closely related to the subspecies G . c. tippelskirchi and part of their radiation. However, they form a unique population that would benefit from increased research and conservation management.