Together, We Can Restore Our Earth (2021 Earth Day Theme)
It’s Earth Day this week and I have some great news demonstrating that caring and committed people working to save endangered wildlife are making progress. A team of rescuers from the Ruko Conservancy, the Kenya Wildlife Service, Save Giraffes Now, and the Northern Rangelands Trust have worked tirelessly over several months to safely move a group of stranded endangered Rothchild’s giraffes off an island on Lake Baringo in Kenya to a newly built sanctuary on the mainland.
Most people are not aware that there is a silent extinction going on in the giraffe world, so every giraffe saved is a step in the direction of restoring their population. The Rothchild’s (Nubian) giraffe numbers have plummeted by 80% over the past few decades. The Rothschild’s giraffe is distinguished by its white stockings. The very popular baby toy, Sophie the Giraffe, is a Rothschild’s Giraffe!
Saving the stranded giraffes on Lake Baringo was no easy task. Rising water levels in the lake caused the giraffes, who had been reintroduced to their native region, to be stranded on a shrinking island reducing their food source and threatening their survival. Several of the giraffes died. Swimming the animals off the island was not an option. The rescue team made a barge constructed from metal drums, steel beams, and tarps to ferry the animals to safety. This took weeks of coaxing the giraffes to trust and feed off the barge while it was tied to the shore.
You can read all about this story in the May issue of National Geographic.
Getting a wild animal that stands upwards of 18 feet tall, and can weigh nearly as much as a compact car, onto a barge safely is no easy task. “From the onset, I knew the work would be both challenging and delicate,” said Stephen Chege, a senior wildlife veterinarian working with the Northern Rangelands Trust, one of several groups that joined the effort. Giraffes don’t handle tranquilizers well—sedated giraffes have been known to choke on their own saliva—and their unique physiology makes them prone to neck and leg injuries. Chege and the other rescuers had their work cut out for them.
As a collaborator and supporter of Save Giraffes Now, I was thrilled when I heard that all the giraffes were successfully ferried across the lake to their new sanctuary. National Geographic photographer Ami Vitale captured the story well in her images. I was doubly thrilled this week to learn that her image “Rescue of Giraffes from Flooding Island,” was awarded first place in the nature, singles category of the World Press Photo Competition. Giraffe survival in the news is the best news!
Whenever I ask people, “What’s your favourite African animal?” I often hear giraffe, elephant, or lion. These three iconic animals occupy the top tier of the favourites list. Of these three the giraffe is the one who commands adjectives like elegant, graceful, and beautiful. Elephants are dearly loved but, we don’t call them “elegant.” Lions are majestic and fierce but “beautiful” doesn’t fit as a descriptor of their good looks. Giraffes are the Audrey Hepburn of the four-legged world—they are “classy”.
Those eyes!
The eyelashes!
Their height!
Until you stand near a giraffe it’s hard to appreciate just how tall they are. As the tallest mammal in the world, they can grow to 18’. Imagine, if a giraffe lived in your back yard you would have to feed it from your second-floor window.
Nothing else moves like a giraffe. Audrey Hepburn was trained as a classical ballet dancer. If she had four legs, I’m sure she’d move like a giraffe. Unlike antelope or horses whose legs follow a pattern left hind leg, left front leg, right hind leg, right front leg, in a regular 1-2-3-4 beat, a giraffe’s legs move together on each side– rear leg and foreleg in unison. This unique gait gives them a smooth ambling motion.
Giraffes only have 2 speeds—walk and gallop. A giraffe on the run is mesmerizing; I have yet to capture a giraffe on the run that truly shows how beautiful they are in top gear. I’m eager to return to Kenya to see these beautiful animals in motion. In the meantime I celebrate and congratulate the people who are working so hard to protect them.
Earth Day is Thursday April 22nd. What are you doing to mark this day? Here’s a link to help you find out about events near you (scroll down to the map) and also learn about what is happening in Africa. Earth Day is a global event. Together we can restore our earth!
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