Süleyman is a living example of the repercussions of wildlife poaching. In parts of Africa, giraffes are hunted for their meat, pelts, bones, and tails – which are deemed highly valuable in some African cultures. However, irresponsible and illegal wildlife poaching of female giraffes often results in calves, like Süleyman, being orphaned.
On March 2023, the Wild at Life e.V. team was notified of a young giraffe lying on his motionless mother. Upon arrival, the team learnt that the mother giraffe had been shot several days prior and the baby giraffe remained by her side, waiting for her to come back to life. As there were no giraffe herds in sight, it is presumable that they had left to carry on with their journey. We named the calf Süleyman, and he was promptly rescued and brought to Bela Bela sanctuary.
Süleyman’s first 14 days in Bela Bela sanctuary were crucial and would determine his likelihood of survival. At first, he did not eat and was understandably stressed from the change of environment and the absence of his mother. Thankfully, he soon got acquainted with the sanctuary’s caregivers and even made friends with Purry, a resident cat. Despite what he had gone through, Süleyman is a mischievous, bundle of joy that continues to flourish each day.
(Although it does not seem that Purry fancies Süleyman)
is what happens after the immediate rescue of an animal. Feeding, caring for, and otherwise sustaining the animals in a sanctuary like Bela Bela is equally important and unfortunately not cheap.
Thank you for showing love to Süleyman!
When Asli, the founder of Wild at Life e.V., visited Bela Bela sanctuary in mid-April, one of her To-dos is to relocate Süleyman to a larger space now that he is stronger and does not need constant monitoring.
Süleyman was moved to a larger enclosure that also houses one Kudu, one Nyala, and two Sable antelopes. Doing so minimises Süleyman’s interaction with humans, and acclimatises him to be with other herbivores, as giraffes would be in the wild.
In a year or so when Süleyman is older, he will be introduced to the other resident giraffes at Bela Bela sanctuary.
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Wild at Life founder Aslihan Gedik spoke with H24 / Hinterlegungsstelle about our work protecting wildlife and biodiversity. In its June 2026 newsletter, H24 published an interview with Aslihan Gedik, founder of Wild at Life. The conversation introduces our mission
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