Wild At Life Project

Saving Giraffes in a Time of Drought

Activity status: Ongoing
Area of Activity: Garissa County, Kenya

Climate change is causing droughts to become more frequent and severe in many regions of the world. As temperatures rise, evaporation increases, leading to drier soils and reduced water availability. Additionally, changes in precipitation patterns are causing some areas to receive less rainfall, exacerbating the problem.

Droughts can have devastating impacts on wildlife and agriculture, causing crop failures, food shortages, and increased food prices. They can also lead to water shortages, which can impact wildlife, human health, hygiene, and sanitation. Climate change is a global issue that requires urgent action to mitigate its effects, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions and developing more sustainable and resilient farming practices.

Species

The reticulated giraffe is officially listed as endangered. IUCN Red List estimates there are about 15,000 reticulated giraffes left in Africa. Of course, all other wildlife and livestock are suffering terribly from droughts.

Situation

Northeast Kenya is facing a severe drought, causing endangered giraffes in the area to suffer, even dying from dehydration and starvation. The situation is beyond sad. We are right in the middle of what should be the rainy season in Kenya, but it is unusually dry. The amount of water available to wildlife has been massively reduced, and the few remaining water sources are being dominated by herders for their livestock, driving away giraffes. The trees have stopped producing leaves, so there is less food for giraffes as well. It is even more difficult on new mums, where their milk has dried up, leaving little to none for their calves. Without their only source of food and nutrients, weak calves are left behind as they struggle to keep up.

Partners

  • Save the Giraffes
  • Somali Giraffe Project
  • Local Conservancies

Working with local partners, Wild at Life e.V. and Save the Giraffes are

  • Providing food – people are gathering acacia seed pods to feed giraffes, and we are also purchasing food pellets
  • Providing water
  • Trying to care for and nurture orphaned calves

Garissa and Wajir are among the biggest counties in Kenya by area size. Most of the giraffes have no access to the river which is just in Garissa. The giraffes are responding well to the acacia pods and we want to scale up this effort and establish hundreds of temporary feeding stations of pellets across the range.

The majority of the herds are young at this time of the year and are very vulnerable to drought. We have seen cases of abandoned calves and we are rescuing as many as possible.

A relief to these beautiful creatures

Wild at Life e.V. is seeking funds to support on-the-ground teams working across the drought-stricken region to supply water and food and to gather seed pods for the hundreds of dehydrated and starving giraffes until the rains come.

 

No results found.

This project is carried out in the following activity areas
Climate change & natural disaster relief missions

Spread the news!

Help us increasing social commitment in saving endangered wild species. Express your support by sharing this article in your favorite social media channel.

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
WhatsApp
Email

Most recent news

News
May 13, 2025

A Growing Concern in Unregulated Waters Each year, as our team flies to Sri Lanka for our conservation projects, we are struck by a mesmerizing but deeply troubling sight: an expanse of white-green lights in the Arabian Sea, visible for

Project update
April 27, 2025

A few years ago, together with our partner, the Association for the Protection of Fauna and Flora, we conducted a distressing investigation at a zoo in Burkina Faso. The 112-hectare site was home to numerous endangered species, many of them

News
April 9, 2025

This article reports on the successful repatriation of 34 African Grey Parrots that were illegally smuggled from Africa to Spain. The parrots were intercepted in Spain, and Turkish Cargo facilitated their transportation back to their natural habitats free of charge.

News
April 9, 2025

The article details the rescue and repatriation of 34 African Grey Parrots that were illegally trafficked from Africa to Spain. In collaboration with Turkish Cargo, which provided complimentary transportation, and various international organizations—including Wild at Life e.V., the Spanish Ministry

News
April 9, 2025

The article reports on the rescue and repatriation of 34 African Grey Parrots that were illegally trafficked from Africa to Spain. In collaboration with Turkish Cargo, which provided complimentary transportation, and various international organizations—including Wild at Life e.V., the Spanish

News
April 9, 2025

The article reports on the rescue and repatriation of 34 African Grey Parrots that were illegally trafficked from Africa to Spain. In collaboration with Turkish Cargo, which provided complimentary transportation, and various international organizations—including Wild at Life e.V., the Spanish

Stay informed!

Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our activities!

By subscribing you consent to our Privacy Policy

Search for more