How Do You Move a Giraffe?

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It's been awhile since I've written a post on giraffes. A friend shared a Time magazine article with me the other day that tracked the shipment of a 4 foot tall stuffed giraffe toy. (I shared it on my Facebook Author page if you want to check it out.)

Although the article tracks the complications from Covid for shipping a toy from China to its destination, it got me thinking about one of the biggest efforts the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCG) takes to save giraffes. Namely, translocation of giraffes from one place to another in hopes of encouraging population growth in areas that either have no giraffes or very few.

Called Operation Twiga, this effort takes some of the most critically endangered giraffes and moves them to safer places. This project has been quite successful, and I'm astounded at the extent of effort, dedication, and teamwork required to make it so. Below are links to two short videos chronicling these efforts:

If you took the time to watch these videos, you saw the inherent dangers these teams face willingly and with joyful hearts once the giraffes are released again into the wild.  GCF can not perform these critical efforts to save giraffes without funding. If you're concerned about living in a world without giraffes in the wild, please consider donating to their worthy programs.

Want to know more about GCF? I sat down over Zoom with Stephanie Fennessy last March to discuss what GCF does. Check it out here. We talked a little about my books, too, because her son has read them.

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