Giraffes: Towering wild beauties a vital role in conservation.

As the tallest land mammal they can reach parts of trees no other species can, playing a key role in pollinating and distributing seeds. This helps encourage new growth and keeps their habitats lush and vibrant.

Like rhinos and elephants, giraffes contribute to soil fertilisation with their dung, enriching the earth and supporting plant life.

Giraffes also act as an early warning system for smaller animals. Their keen eyesight allows them to spot predators like lions from afar, so when they start running smaller animals know it's time to move on, too! This vigilant behavior helps maintain balance in the ecosystem, promoting biodiversity and benefiting countless species.

Extinction and Conservation Efforts

Giraffe species living in Africa is nearing extinction. The latest research by Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) on life sustainability of giraffes in Africa reveals that there are approximately 100,000 giraffes left in Africa.

Current Nubian giraffe numbers for Uganda are estimated at approximately 1,545 individuals, of which approximately 1,500 occur in Murchison Falls National Park (15 of these on the southern bank of the River Nile), the global positioning tracking system used in the giraffe population survey recorded only 35 giraffes left in Kidepo Valley National Park and less than 15 are said to be in Lake Mburo National Park.

"In Uganda we continue to work closely with the Uganda Wildlife Authority to increase numbers and populations of threatened Nubian giraffe. Boosting existing populations is vital for securing their future in the country." said Steph Fennessy, Director Twiga II Operation for giraffes at GCF in Uganda.

Northern Uganda is home to Nubian giraffes. They have large, rectangular blotches set irregularly against a cream background. The lower legs are noticeably white and not patterned.

A fundraising drive to save giraffes in Uganda has just concluded. "Funds raised during World Giraffe Day on 21 June 2018 was aimed at supporting Operation Twiga III, an important conservation translocation to add more giraffe to the important population in Kidepo Valley National Park, which has recovered from only three individuals in the 1990s." said Fennessy.

In 2010 Nubian giraffes were classified as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. In 2015 and 2016, Nubian giraffe were re-introduced into Uganda's Lake Mburo National Park and southern bank of Nile River in Murchison Falls National Park respectively after an absence of over 100 years.

However, it's not only the Nubian giraffe species that are threatened with extinction in Uganda, the West African giraffe specie or Nigerian giraffe is also under the spotlight.

Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda hold an isolated population of giraffe specie known as Masai giraffe, however with advent of a tourism boom in Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda they become more important.

Murchison Falls National Park

With a recent estimate of 1,550 adult giraffe, the northern part of Murchison Falls National Park hosts by far the largest population of Nubian giraffe and is therefore at the centre of our Uganda programme. GCF has implemented a long-term study on giraffe numbers, their distribution and ecology in close collaboration with UWA and Dartmouth College since 2013.

GCF works closely with UWA to monitor giraffe numbers and movements, as well as providing directly anti-poaching and de-snaring support. The programme helps to provide a solid baseline to assess their long-term monitoring and proactively adapt to potential threats through oil exploration.

An important tool to secure a sustainable future for giraffe in Uganda is to increase their range within the country by establishing viable satellite populations. In January 2016, UWA with support from GCF successfully translocated a first group of 18 over the Nile River to the southern bank – Operation Twiga I.

This new Nubian giraffe population was further augmented in August 2017, when 19 more giraffe were moved across the Nile River in Operation Twiga II. GCF provided significant financial support to both translocations, largely through funding raised during World Giraffe Day 2015 and 2018.

After several births, the new population is now estimated at 45 individuals, indicating a solid and sustainable Nubian giraffe population in this part of the Park.

Fascinating facts about giraffe:

There are four distinct species of giraffe: Northern giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis, Southern giraffe giraffa, Reticulated giraffe G. reticulata and Masai giraffe G. tippelskirchi.

Just like human fingerprints, no two giraffe have the same coat pattern.

Giraffe feet are the size of a dinner plate with a diameter of 30 cm.

Giraffe tongues are bluish-purple and between 45 and 50 cm long.

Both male and female giraffe have horns already at birth.

These ossicones lie flat and are not attached to the skull to avoid injury at birth. They only fuse with the skull later in life.

The giraffe is the tallest mammal in the world.

Even newborn giraffe are taller than most humans.

Female giraffe give birth standing up. Their young fall about 2 m to the ground and can stand up within an hour of birth.

In some populations, over 50% of all giraffe calves do not survive their first year.