West African Giraffe vs. Nigerian Giraffe: Same Subspecies (G. c. peralta)

They are the same subspecies. The West African giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis peralta) and the Nigerian giraffe are not distinct — "Nigerian giraffe" is simply the population of G. c. peralta occurring in Nigeria (and Niger, Cameroon, Chad).

Taxonomy

• Species: Giraffa camelopardalis (traditional) — or Giraffa spp. (recent 4-species split: G. camelopardalis = northern giraffe)
• Subspecies: peralta — West African giraffe
• Range: Historically Senegal to Lake Chad; now only in Niger (Kouré region) + vagrants in Nigeria, Mali, Benin, Burkina Faso.

Conservation Status

• IUCN: Endangered (2018) — down from 49 (1996) to ~600 (2020) due to conservation (Niger govt + NGOs).
• Nigeria: Functionally extinct as resident population; occasional cross-border from Niger.
• Key threat: Habitat loss (farming), poaching, climate.

Other Giraffe Subspecies in Africa

8–9 traditionally: rothschildi (Nubian), reticulata (Reticulated), tippelskirchi (Masai), giraffa (Southern), antiquorum (Kordofan), thornicrofti (Thornicroft), angolensis (Angolan).

So: "Nigerian giraffe" = West African giraffe in Nigeria = G. c. peralta. Not a separate taxon.