A major redevelopment and expansion project is underway at the famous Giraffe Centre in Nairobi, Langata. The park, home for 38 years to many specimens of the increasingly rare Rotschild giraffes, is being renovated and will become an even more pleasant and interactive meeting place for these friendly animals. We of the portal of the Italians in Kenya went to see the project and to greet the guests with long necks. Here below the report.
The Giraffe Centre was created by the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife,
In 1979, thanks to an Anglo-American couple, it began to deal with the protection of the Rothschild's Giraffe, a species that was already considered endangered at that time, with 130 thousand specimens throughout Kenya. This particular giraffe, which is also in poorer health than the others, is found practically only in the East African savannah. In the large park of their home in Langata, Mr. and Mrs. Leslie-Melville brought two young giraffes and raised their cubs.
From there, a breeding program began for orphans and cubs that once they are grown, around two or three years old, are released back into the wild in some conservancies in the country and in Nakuru National Park with the help of the Kenya Wildlife Service.
The educational center was built in 1983 thanks to the first funds raised for this initiative and since then has opened its doors to students and scholars from all over the world. Before the pandemic, at least 50,000 arrived each year. In addition to the importance of preserving this animal species, they are taught about environmental protection and the approach to proper waste management.
Lectures and training for teachers and conservation officers are also conducted.
Visit the Giraffe Centre, pay the entrance fee and make a donation, therefore, is also a way to support all this. Today, thanks to the Giraffe Centre, there are more than 300 Rotschild Giraffe families breeding in the wild.
The Giraffe Centre is located on Duma Road, in the Langata district of Nairobi. https://www.giraffecentre.org/