Giraffes are an icon of the African savannah but they are in need of our help with only 117,000 giraffe remaining in the wild. This World Giraffe Week, we talk about the threats these irreplaceable creatures are facing, our efforts to restore a population locally at our Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve, and a very special collaboration that gives you, (yes you!), the opportunity to show your support in a very meaningful and cool way!

*A “journey” of giraffe of Wild Tomorrow’s Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve in South Africa. Photographed by Wild Tomorrow Ambassador* *Martin Meyer*.

The iconic giraffe, known for their distinctive long necks (which can measure up to 6ft in length!), their lengthy legs, their body-covering patterned spots, and known to be the tallest land animal, are in dire need of protection. While you can easily spot giraffe in nature documentaries and at zoos around the world, the sad reality is that giraffe are in serious trouble with numbers plummeting by 30% over the last 30 years.

Their plight receives far less attention in the media than elephants and rhinos, and their rise in the threat of extinction has been termed ‘the silent extinction’. For every 4 elephants, there is currently only 1 giraffe in the wild. In some areas of Africa that were regarded as prime giraffe habitat, numbers have dropped by a staggering 95% in the same period.

The main threats to giraffe are habitat loss, civil unrest, and poaching for meat and for the international trade in bone carvings, skins, and trophies. Habitat degradation and loss are caused by increasing human demand for agricultural land, farming livestock, and unsustainable timber and fuel-wood harvesting.

*Wild Tomorrow first began re-introducing giraffe at Ukuwela in 2017.*

Our wildlife reserve, The Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve, is a new protected area for giraffe (and all biodiversity) in our region. We began reintroducing the South African giraffe at the Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve on land that was formerly farmed for pineapples. Today we have 19 giraffe including 9 calves that were born wild on our land, each individual celebrated as a symbol of restoration!

We are proud of our growing South African giraffe population, but as a community, our fight for giraffe conservation cannot stop there. Other giraffe species, such as the Kordofan giraffe and Nubian giraffe are critically endangered. This serves as a reminder that animal and habitat conservation is a team effort and has to be done alongside one another.

We hope that the work we carry out to save these beautiful and important mammals together with efforts from our partners in the region will help to remove them from the long list of threatened species.  

To home in on bringing awareness to these wonderful yet threatened species is our collaboration with designer and animal lover, Haley Menzies.

*‘The Extinction Tour’ t-shirt design* - *The front features animals that are at high risk of going extinct whilst the back shares deeply moving figures of the amount of each species left in the world.*

*‘The Extinction Tour’ t-shirt is available in white and acid grey colors, as well as in women’s, men’s, and children’s sizes!*

As part of her ongoing commitment to supporting animal welfare, the ‘Rock n Roll’ inspired Extinction Tour t-shirt raises awareness for the beloved animals that are at high risk of extinction in Africa, and which inspired her recent collection.

To help restore a thriving giraffe population on our planet, 100% of profits from sales of the t-shirt will be donated to Wild Tomorrow to support our giraffe conservation, connecting them to their deserved home. Head to the Hayley Menzies website and purchase your Extinction Tour t-shirt to help these gentle giants here!

For more information about giraffe conservation, see:

https://wildtomorrow.org/giraffe-conservation

WORLD GIRAFFE DAY: IT’S TIME TO STICK YOUR NECK OUT FOR THEM