Save Elephants And Giraffes - Africa's Giants

Thanks to your wonderful support of this life-saving conservation project, here’s some fantastic news from Meru National Park in Kenya. Here, with your help, we protect rare, reticulated giraffes and majestic savannah elephants – both officially listed as ‘Endangered’ by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

As we reported last time, you help our newly employed Twiga* Team carry out daily patrols to help keep giraffes safe. The team is removing up to 100 wire snares each month – illegally set by poachers to trap food. With their long legs picking their way through dense undergrowth, giraffes can be especially vulnerable to these deadly nooses.

But that’s not all. To support conservation, our team is also working on a giraffe database. They have already identified an incredible 150 individual giraffes, making a note of individual markings – each giraffe can be identified by its unique spot pattern, similar to a human fingerprint.

This work is vitally important as this research informs our conservation efforts. Meru is home to some 1,600 reticulated giraffes, 10% of the global population, so is an essential stronghold for this endangered subspecies. Reticulated giraffes have declined by 56% in the past 30 years, so every single giraffe matters!

Meanwhile, after years of good rainfall there are drought conditions in much of Kenya including Meru – which is tough for people and wildlife. Herbivores struggle to find enough food, but elephants can cope a little better as they eat shrubs, roots and trees as well as grass.

In such difficult times there can be increased pressure between people and wildlife, which is why our work and your support is more important than ever. Thank you for all you do to protect rare giraffes and elephants!

*Swahili for giraffe

Links:

• Adopt an Elephant
• Adopt a Giraffe