Giraffes stranded by floods rescued by special barge

Giraffes stranded by floods rescued by special barge

Thomas Nelson
December 13, 2020
Animals
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How do you rescue a giraffe stranded by flooding? You build a special giraffe barge and get to saving some giraffes. Or at least that’s what one group of conservationists did when flood waters left giraffes stranded on a small island. It’s truly a giraffe rescue for the books!

A daring giraffe rescue

Heavy rainfall along Lake Baringo in Kenya created the perfect storm, so to speak, of trouble for a group of giraffes. Several Nubian giraffes, which are considered to be a vulnerable species by the IUCN, found themselves trapped on an island with limited food. To rescue the giraffes, Save Giraffes Now, a US-based group, partnered with the Kenya Wildlife Service and the Northern Rangelands Trust to construct special barges to bring the giraffes to safety.

The giraffes were split into two groups. Several were stuck together on a larger island while one, a female called Asiwa, was trapped on a much smaller island. Asiwa was the higher priority for rescuers.

One by one, the giraffes were guided to specially constructed giraffe rescue barges and ferried to their new homes. To keep the giraffes calm, special hoods were placed over the giraffes’ eyes to avoid startling them while in transit.

At the end of the day, the news was good for this vulnerable species. But they’re not out of the woods yet.

Why are giraffes vulnerable?

Giraffe populations have been in steady decline due to human behavior. According to the IUCN red list, there are three primary causes for this decline. The first is loss of habitat for agriculture. More and more of the giraffe’s natural habitat is being transformed into farming and ranching land.

Hunting giraffes is another primary cause for the declining population of giraffes.

Lastly, human wars, civil unrest, and military exercises have disturbed the natural habitat of giraffes and resulted in giraffe deaths.

How can I help giraffes?

If you want to help save giraffes from extinction, there are a few conservation organizations that you can get involved with and donate money to. Save Giraffes Now, which coordinated this rescue, is one such organization. Giraffe Conservation is another reputable organization that helps protect giraffes.