Our ability to see giraffes at nearly any local zoo tends to obscure the fact that their populations are declining in the wild due to habitat loss and even poaching.
One species – Rothschild’s giraffe – is down to just 1,600 creatures. 800 of them live in Kenya.
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An island of their own
In 2011, a handful of Rothschild’s giraffes were relocated to Longicharo Island in Lake Baringo.
At the time, it was a peninsula and the animals were secluded but protected. But over the last decade, the lake has flooded and the peninsula can occasionally become an island – and things aren’t about to get any better.
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During one particularly bad spell this year, 8 giraffes were stranded on the island, unable to get to safety as the water rose. That’s when rescuers realized they would have to be relocated.
The lake is home to a plentiful population of crocodiles as well – and that means it’s never safe to try to get across the water on one’s own.
So how do you get 8 endangered giraffes off an island that’s surrounded by crocodiles?
A giraffe raft, of course.
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To the rescue
Conservationists, government officials, and local community members all came together to build a raft at the Ruko Community Wildlife Conservancy so the giraffes could be safely relocated to higher ground.
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But it wasn’t as simple as building a vessel, since the endangered giraffes can stand up to 20 feet tall and weigh up to 2,500 pounds.
There’s also the problem of keeping the giraffes upright so they don’t “rock the boat”, so to speak, especially if a crocodile spooks them.
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One particular giraffe – an adult female named Asiwa – was pegged as the first to be rescued since she was deemed the most vulnerable.
The rescue
In an email to Gizmodo, David O’Connor, President of the non-profit that participated in the rescue, Save Giraffes Now, described the final design as a rectangular steel pen.
“The barge floats atop a series of empty drums, for buoyancy. Reinforced sides kept Asiwa from jumping out as the barge was gently maneuvered by boats,” he explained.
It took months to familiarize the giraffes with the vessel enough so that they weren’t afraid of it. Take a look through the photos below to see them sniffing it out:
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Asiwa was the first to make the trip – and rescuers decided to sedate and blindfold her for the journey so she wouldn’t feel spooked.
“We sailed Asiwa over a mile of crocodile-ridden waters to the newly established Ruko giraffe sanctuary, and our team was there the whole way to ensure Asiwa was safe,” O’Connor said.
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“Asiwa, has always been a priority for the team on the ground, as she was the most vulnerable,” reads an Instagram post by Save The Giraffes “It is a relief for all involved to have got her safely across to the mainland and we are sure she is enjoying the space in her new home!”
Asiwa is now on a special 4,400-acre reservation with high fencing to keep her safe from predators and poachers.
The other giraffes are still making their journeys.
Rescuers rejoice each time a giraffe has come to shore. It’s quite an undertaking after all!
It’s unclear how long the entire operation will take, but it’s ongoing in December of 2020.
Be sure to scroll down below to see footage from Asiwa’s dramatic rescue – and the maiden voyage of the “giraffe raft.”
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