By April, all nine of the giraffes were back together at their new home. They now live on a wildlife reserve on the mainland. But this isn’t the end of the story.
Only about 3,000 of this type of giraffe, known as a Rothschild’s giraffe, are left in the wild. Like other types of giraffes, their population has dropped in the past 30 years. Poaching and habitat loss are big threats. Humans now use many of the areas where giraffes once lived for farming and logging. Also, war in some countries has driven giraffes from their land.
More Rothschild’s giraffes will join the nine rescued animals. Conservationists want the two groups to breed to help build up their population.
“These giraffes are the heart of our homeland,” says Mike Parkei, a ranger at the reserve where the rescued giraffes now live. “We knew we had to come together and do everything possible to save them.”