Wajir looking to give endangered Somali giraffe more than a home

The continued felling of acacia trees, food for Kenya’s Somali giraffes, by charcoal merchants in Wajir is putting the future of the endangered species at grave risk.

If not targeted for the false belief that its meat increases a man’s libido, climate change and the logging of acacia trees, one of the giraffe’s first dietary choices, are pushing the reticulated giraffe to the brink of extinction.

About 4,000 of the species are found in Wajir County, the largest population in the country, according to the Kenya Wildlife Service. As browsers, giraffes are limited to plants that are within reach of their mouths. The acacia trees provide the best choice for this kind of meal.

In 2018, the United Nations Environment Programme reported that the acacia tree has long been the backbone of Somalia’s multimillion-dollar trade in charcoal.

This trade could be fuelling the depletion of the acacia trees in Wajir, which borders Somalia.

And the environmental degradation is in turn posing a threat to giraffe population.

Important habitat

According to Wajir County Environment Executive Mayow Yussuf, the county is an important habitat for reticulated giraffes and the destruction of the acacia trees is emerging as a serious threat to the animal.

The county has now intensified a crackdown on charcoal burning and logging of acacia trees.

“The Somali giraffe is highly concentrated in Wajir due to the many acacia trees in the county. The trees are their food but it is unfortunate that these trees are being depleted. We must protect the acacia trees. If we destroy the trees, we are destroying the endangered giraffes,” Ms Yussuf said. Faced by shrinking territory and poaching, the Somali giraffe which is also found in Western Somalia and Southern Ethiopia, was listed as endangered in 2018.

This after its population shrunk from 100,000 in the 1980s to about 15,000 recently.

Scientists have called the rapidly decreasing numbers a “silent extinction.” But a large contributor to this phenomena has been climate change which is altering weather patterns even in the arid and semi-arid lands.

This adjustments mean the lands that were originally forest or savannah are facing increased rainfall or even drought causing specific plants to die, with the attendant consequences to the entire food chain.

Two subspecies (Kordofan and Nubian giraffe) as well as the reticulated giraffe have been added to the Critically Endangered list by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

Mysterious disease

In March, veterinary officers started investigating a mysterious disease that had killed more than 10 giraffes at the Sabuli conservancy in Wajir County. The disease affected the mouth, hampering feeding.

The first incident was recorded in May 2020 when six reticulated giraffes died in five months.

“We established Sabuli Conservancy to sensitise the community on the rare giraffe and work with them in protecting it. We want to work with all stakeholders including the KWS to create more protected areas,” said Community Conservancy founder and honorary warden Mohamed Sharmarke while speaking on the sidelines of World Giraffe Day celebrations in Sabuli.

He said the county government’s move to brand Wajir as the home of the Somali giraffe is a big step towards protecting the endangered animal.

Mr Sharmarke said water shortage in the conservancy was also a grave concern, as they are forced to water the animals using donkey carts during the dry season.

The population surge caused by the Dadaab refugee camp has been cited as the source of high demand for charcoal.

Community participation

KWS warden in charge of Wajir, Mr Kirimi Mbaka said there is need for community participation in protecting the reticulated giraffe. He lauded the establishment of community conservancies like Sabuli, which will go a long way in protecting the endangered giraffe.

“It is important to note that almost the entire population of the Somali giraffe is in Wajir County yet it lives in community land. We must involve the community in this effort because there are no national parks or reserves in the region,” Mr Mbaka said.

He said KWS was currently mapping out the strategic areas necessary for the conservation of the Somali giraffe in Wajir.

Mr Mbaka said KWS will be reaching out to locals where the Somali giraffe lives to teach them about its importance.

“The biggest challenge to the endangered giraffe is not only poaching but also climate change. We need to collaborate with all players and communities to succeed in protecting this animal,” he said.

Drought in north eastern Kenya has killed many giraffes. Ten died at Sabuli Conservancy last year.

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