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2017 continues to be an exciting year for giraffe conservation. World Giraffe Day – 21 June was again a great success around the world. A big thank you to all of you who celebrated with us and our giant friends to raise awareness and support for their plight in Africa. WGD is the biggest day for giraffe conservation each year – so let’s all work together to keep the momentum!

At the same time, giraffe conservation and awareness efforts are growing in leaps and bounds. In Uganda, a draft of the first-ever National Giraffe Conservation Strategy and Action Plan is currently under review after a successful international stakeholder workshop in Entebbe in July. Just next door, the Kenya Wildlife Service is busy increasing giraffe conservation efforts in the country (read more below) and the Tanzanian government and partners have shown great interest in bringing giraffe conservation efforts to the fore following recent national meetings. All in all, lots of positive news from East Africa and around the world as giraffe conservation efforts and awareness increase throughout the continent and internationally.

Nubian Giraffe Conservation in Uganda

GCF has been working in Uganda in close cooperation with the Uganda Wildlife Authority and other partners for over four years now and the programme is going extremely well. Uganda now boasts four populations of Nubian giraffe and plans are underway to supplement one of these populations soon – stay tuned for more news on Operation Twiga II. We regularly post update reports on different aspects of our collaborative work throughout Uganda here – enjoy the read.

Khomas Environmental Education Programme (KEEP) in Namibia

While our focus certainly is on giraffe conservation, we also run a successful environmental education programme in Namibia. This year alone, our KEEP team has taken ~2,000 Namibian primary school students from around the capital Windhoek for a fun and educational day to the local Daan Viljoen Game Reserve. Students and teachers enjoy applying concepts that they have already discussed in the classroom out in the field. Check out our latest update reports and don’t forget to take a look at our new and updated KEEP Workbook that is a big hit with all the kids too. And stay tuned for exciting plans to increase the reach of this programme across Africa.

Reticulated Giraffe Conservation in Kenya

Collaborative community-based giraffe conservation in action could be seen in full swing in northern Kenya in June, where an international team lead by the Kenya Wildlife Service fitted eleven threatened reticulated giraffe with new GPS solar units. Following their movements online coupled with regular field observations will help us better understand their habitat use and ultimately protect this stunning species and its habitat. This initiative was largely funded through support raised by World Giraffe Day 2016, so a big thank you again to all of you who have supported this initiative. Read more about this exciting conservation effort here.

Emmy Nomination: Outstanding Nature Documentary

Sometimes you just have to blow your own trumpet and brag a little. The PBS version of ‘our’ BBC/PBS giraffe documentary Giraffes: Africa’s Gentle Giants has been nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Nature Documentary! While it is up against some stiff competition, the nomination in itself is a fantastic achievement and will hopefully help us to increase awareness for the plight of giraffe in Africa and our important work to curb this trend. The News & Documentary Emmy Awards will be presented on 5 October 2017 in New York City, so please keep your fingers crossed.

Cover image by Pretty Fly Photography.

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