Rescuers from 3 different conservation groups are sticking their necks out for 8 giraffes that have been stranded on an island in Kenya … and 2 have already made it back to safety.
Here’s what’s happening — the poor Rothschild’s giraffes got trapped on an island in Lake Baringo due to rising water levels flooding it … which separated them from the resources they need to survive.
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In order to save them, the Kenya Wildlife Service, a U.S. nonprofit called Save Giraffes Now and an African conservation org called the Northern Rangelands Trust have combined their efforts in an unusual rescue mission … using a barge built for a giraffe to float them back to the mainland one at a time.
So far, 2 of the 8 giraffes have successfully made the 4-mile trek from the island … and have been relocated to a special sanctuary where they can survive and thrive.
One of them was a female named Asiwa that was stranded on a more remote part of the island, making her rescue a top priority. However, the president of Save Giraffes Now says there’s major urgency to saving the rest as well … as they are an endangered species in Africa, and only about 800 left in Kenya.
As for the barge, get this … it was engineered by local community members, who have also learned how to train the giraffes to enter the barge voluntarily.
Here’s hoping everything goes well with the other 6.
Godspeed!!
