#StandTallForGiraffe with GCF on
and help us bring giraffe back to Angola!
Did you know that there are no Angolan giraffe remaining in Angola?
Historically, they roamed freely throughout this vast country, however, many years of civil war have extirpated these gentle giants from their former home.
Together with our partners, we are determined to change this and plans are well underway to bring Angolan giraffe back to their old stomping grounds in 2023!
The Role of Giraffe in Africa
In addition to their cultural importance and their rather iconic status in Africa, giraffe are a critically important part of savannah ecosystems. Did you know that giraffe are important pollinators? They also shape many of the tree species they feed upon and can change their growth patterns through intensive browsing. If giraffe are removed from an ecosystem, some plants change their physical structure and growth, which has cascading effects for the whole ecosystem right down to the soil nutrients and insect communities.
Returning giraffe to their historical ranges where they have become locally extinct helps to restore these complex ecosystem processes.
Carefully planned and managed giraffe translocations are a vital tool in helping to restore the balance to these ecosystems for generations to come. GCF have has a strong track record of successful giraffe translocations! For a most recent example read about our daring mission in Niger.
Moving giraffe is not an easy task and requires careful planning and preparation. And as for moving giraffe back to Angola – we are well on our way with preparations! But now we need your help to make these plans a reality!
A giraffe translocation is an incredibly complex and expensive undertaking that requires careful planning. To give you an idea what is involved, here are just a few things to consider before the first Angolan giraffe can set foot on Angolan soil again.
Strong Partnerships
Working closely with the Angolan government and our partners at African Parks we have identified Iona National Park as the final destination for the first Angolan giraffe to return to Angola.
Viability Assessment
Such an assessment looks at the habitat needs of giraffe but also considers social aspects. Successful conservation is only possible when the people who share their living space with wildlife are given a voice and become an integral part of the process. During our viability assessment for reintroducing giraffe to Iona National Park in Angola, it was important to engage with the local communities to understand their needs and concerns.
Finding the Way
By bringing giraffe back to Iona National Park we are entering uncharted territory – literally! Our GCF team recently hit the road to find the best route to transport giraffe from Namibia to Angola. Assessing road conditions, border crossings and identifying the best spot to release these gentle giants were part of this mission.
The Move
With all these previous steps sorted, we are almost ready to start with the capture. Everything is in place for mid-2023, except for one thing: we still need to raise the necessary funding for this exciting and important giraffe conservation project!
Post-Translocation Monitoring
But it does not end with the actual release. A critical part of any translocation is to monitor their movements after the release. To find out how they settle into their new home, we are planning to tag each giraffe with a solar-powered GPS satellite ear tag. And you can help us to make this possible!
