conservation

Great Southern Bioblitz Photo by Tobby Odhacha

08October2024

The Great Southern BioBlitz 2024: A Transformative Experience for Young Naturalists

in: Citizen Science, Research by: Giraffe Centre

The Great Southern BioBlitz 2024 edition, Kenyan chapter was a remarkable event for young naturalists and nature enthusiasts in Nairobi, Kenya. it was organized through collaboration with the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife (AFEW) and local universities’ nature and environment clubs. The event spread out over four-day September 20^th – 23^rd). It drew students from institutions; including the Wildlife Clubs of Kenya (Center for Tourism Training and Research), University of Nairobi, Africa Nazarene University, Nature Kenya, and the Giraffe Centre.

The BioBlitz main mission is to highlight the rich biodiversity of the Southern Hemisphere in the flourishing spring season while engaging the public in science and nature education through the citizen science platform iNaturalist mobile application.

An Eye-Opening Encounter with Nature

During the BioBlitz activities, participants explored diverse ecosystems within the Nairobi metropolitan area, Kiambu and Kajiado counties. The key locations included the Giraffe Centre Nature Trail, the Nairobi National Museum, the Ondiri Wetlands, and the Naretunoi Conservancy a wildlife dispersal area for Nairobi National Park. Over the course of four days, armed with smartphones, cameras and binoculars participants observed, documented, and collected data on the natural flora and fauna of these ecosystems with a lot of passion

For many first-time participants, this was a profoundly transformative experience. Many described it as “eye-opening” and a catalyst for a deeper connection with the environment.

Through hands-on experience, the participants’ determination to preserve and protect nature was solidified. AFEW’s youth-focused engagement model has proven successful, with more than 85% of participants under 30.

Integration of technology through the use of the iNaturalist mobile app to document and identify species in real time was a powerful tool for helping beginners familiarize themselves with the wonders of the natural world and biodiversity in the areas explored.

Fostering the Future of Conservation

The Great Southern BioBlitz is more than an event; it represents a commitment to nature conservation through citizen participation. By integrating aspects of young people, AFEW Kenya has not only boosted awareness but also contributed valuable data for monitoring biodiversity in Kenya. The initiative is a testament to how grassroots efforts can significantly contribute to environmental protection through quality data that can contribute to research and policy decisions on nature areas.

Sir David Attenborough, the renowned British naturalist, once said:

“It is that range of biodiversity that we must care for—the whole thing—rather than just one or two stars.”

This quote resonates deeply with the purpose of the BioBlitz, which aims to appreciate and document the richness of ecosystems as a whole.

Looking Ahead: A Call to Action

As we await the final data from the 2024 edition, it’s clear that more and more citizens are becoming involved in nature conservation efforts. We urge all stakeholders, institutions, and individuals to participate in future editions of the Great Southern BioBlitz.

Additionally, events like bird ringing and environmental cleanups offer further opportunities for hands-on involvement in conservation. More information about these events can be found on the AFEW-Giraffe Centre’s social media platforms and website.

Let us come together to foster a society that exists in harmony with nature, ensuring a future where biodiversity flourishes and ecosystems thrive. By contributing to initiatives like the Great Southern BioBlitz, we take important steps toward safeguarding our planet for generations to come.

Author’s contact:

Kelvin Munene Njeru

njrkelvin@gmail.com

0729844844

Photographer:

Tobby Odhacha

instagram: @tobbyodhacha

15May2024

Celebrating Kenya’s Environmental Champions: A Tribute to AFEW Participants

in: Announcements by: Giraffe Centre

It is with immense joy and gratitude that we extend our heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you who participated in the 2024 AFEW Kenya Environmental Awareness Competition. Your dedication, passion, and commitment to environmental stewardship have not only inspired us but have also contributed significantly to the preservation and conservation of our planet.

From the bustling streets of Nairobi to the serene landscapes of the Rift Valley, your collective efforts have undoubtedly made a profound impact on raising awareness about the importance of environmental sustainability. Whether through innovative projects, compelling artwork, or insightful essays, your creativity and enthusiasm have shone brightly, illuminating a path towards a greener and more sustainable future for Kenya and beyond.

As the competition came to a close on March 31st, we were truly overwhelmed by the quality and diversity of entries we received. Each submission was a testament to your unwavering commitment to making a positive difference in the world around you. Your dedication to environmental conservation is not only commendable but serves as a beacon of hope for generations to come.

To all the participants, we offer our sincerest congratulations on your outstanding contributions. Your hard work and determination have not gone unnoticed. You are all winners in our eyes, and we are immensely proud of each and every one of you.

Now, as we eagerly anticipate the moment of celebration, we are thrilled to announce that the winners of the 2024 AFEW Kenya Environmental Awareness Competition will be feted on the 7th of June, 2024. This will be a day of recognition, appreciation, and celebration of your remarkable achievements. We cannot wait to honor your dedication and showcase your remarkable accomplishments to the world.

To those who emerged victorious, we extend our warmest congratulations. Your exemplary efforts have set a benchmark for environmental advocacy and activism. You are the trailblazers, the changemakers, and the guardians of our planet’s future. May your passion continue to ignite change and inspire others to join the noble cause of environmental conservation.

Nare Tunoi land owners at the lease payments event at Empakasi Primary

23February2023

How land owners and Wildlife Conservancies work together in Athi Kapiti.

in: Activities by: Giraffe Centre

When people live side-by-side with wildlife, conflicts are bound to happen. This is a common scenario in the Athi Kapiti wildlife dispersal area of Nairobi National Park. Therefore there is a need to find peace between humans and wildlife. One way we seek to accomplish this is through leasing land in areas adjacent to wildlife protected areas like the Athi Kapiti area.

The land lease program has been running for the last 2 decades, under the stewardship of The Wildlife Foundation (TWF). TWF identifies prime wildlife habitat in the Sholinke area of the Nairobi National Park Wildlife Dispersal area. They then enrol the land owners in the Land Lease program. The land owners are given lease payments in 3 instalments, at the beginning of each school session. (September, January & April). In 2022-2023, Giraffe Centre committed to leasing 750 acres of local community land to support TWF’s lease program.

This program has been instrumental in promoting harmony between humans and wildlife in this area. The financial incentive for landowners gives them a chance to appreciate wildlife. As a result, both domestic and wild animals can seek pasture freely. This also allows open routes for migratory animals.

AFEW Kenya is proud to be part of this program, which has been a success in many ways. Human-wildlife conflict cases have fallen in this area as it’s a major dispersal area for the Nairobi National Park. Furthermore, it’s an income source for landowners. As a by-product of this initiative, land owners have become fierce protectors of wildlife on their land against poachers. More importantly, this program supports the Global Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 4 on quality education, SDG number 17 on multi-stakeholder partnership for sustainable development and SDG no. 15 on protecting, restoring and promoting sustainable utilizations of terrestrial ecosystems.

03January2022

2022 AFEW KENYA ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL COMPETITION

in: Activities by: Giraffe Centre

Happy New Year. We hope and believe that you’ll have a successful year.

To start off, we have our annual competition up. The competition will be running from January 1st, 2022 to March 31st,2022.

The aim of the competition is to get students to engage in environmental conservation. The theme of the competition seeks to jog the students minds concerning current conservation issues and express them through either essays, drawing or an artistically taken photograph. The winners of the competition will get to visit some of the great conservation sites and organizations we have in Kenya.

To get the poster for the competition please click here

We wish you a prosperous 2022

30May2020

Birding Experience

in: Announcements by: Giraffe Centre

Hey Giraffe Community, this Saturday, 6th of June 2020, we will be hosting a birding event from 8:00am to 10:00am at our Nature Sanctuary at Karen, Hardy Area. You’ll get an exclusive guided walk in the Sanctuary, get to view, learn and exprerience Birding like never before.

For you to participate, you’ll need to make a prior booking by registering here. This is to make sure that before, during and after the event, we keep the measures put forth by the Government of Kenya in Combating the Pandemic.

For any inquiry, email us on reservations@giraffecentre.org See you then

11May2020

Everything goes

in: Activities by: Giraffe Centre

One’s poison is another’s food. That thing that seems small, useless to you means the world to another. The psalmist in one of his psalms would note this as he explains how everything means something to someone. He’d give an example with the water streams and towers, how from the rocks to the leaves need water.

I experienced this phenomenon with a cypress tree. Before you get up in arms with a claim on deforestation, it fell on its own on my neighbor’s vegetation and the tree was his. It was interesting how each person who saw the tree would envision it.

A carpenter saw frames for their creative ideas, a brick entrepreneur saw firewood for drying bricks, so on and forth.

There is a group, however, that interested me. They were keen to check for the hollow part of the stem. Why? If you ask me, it seems like they are missing a full part of the donut. Who in their right mind would go for the space between a donut. These guys would and they did.

One of the guys, just by knocking on one side of the cut trunk and knew it had honey in plenty. Apparently, in the olden days, that honey was the medicine for cold and flu. These guys didn’t just come here to look for materials for income, also for health from the cypress tree.

The only way these guys would have known this secret is if they were taught by their society members. By this simple secret, they have made a habit of growing trees with a sole purpose of honey where they’ll let them grow old, then fall on their own volition and hope for a bumper harvest of wood, sawdust, firewood and most important, honey.

14January2020

Tembea Kenya

in: Safari Experience by: Giraffe Centre

Njaanuary…, I never understood what this meant. I thought that maybe it’s one of those ‘Kang Kaka‘ wonderful spoken word performances. Creative mind he is by the way. I came to fully understand it’s meaning when I moved out. You know how back in college we’d be like”When I get a job, I’ll save lots just to recuperate like a king come December” Well, I now understand why saying”I’ll save” and doing it are two very different scenarios. The former makes me look responsible, the later is work and sacrifice.

And so, for last year’s December, I made a decision not to make the usual ‘Exodus’ to my village in the heart of Kakamega County. Only to realize that the only major difference I made is to miss out on the raw, uncut, untethered nature that is green with rains every often

as from 1500hrs to 2000hrs. So natural is my home that the monkeys are unashamed of their chauvinism. One time a lady friend was chasing them off a Maize plantation, the disrespect they displayed Still haunt me 20 years on.

All that for what? Six liters of a common soft drink and a sweet tooth. Don’t judge me, that was my dream once upon a time! January came, at least I paid my rent and essentials. All else, the only difference I had from the travelers? Other than clean air, clear roads. It’s only in the December festive season that a passenger can negotiate the fare price to a level of making the travel business feel like a charity. But who is Karma?! It’s January, the travel business owners are hiking their prices to exorbitant levels. Come on business owners! It’s not like January is happening to the unfair customers only. Exercise some humanity.

“Come all ye who are heavy laden..” But before I bust your bubble, this call is only for those who participated in the tertiary level of the 2019 AFEW Annual Environmental Competition. For they will have a trip around the

Nakuru – Naivasha circuit. Imagine the Geo-spa, a game drive, camping, among others in January. The fun part, all this is a reward for a job well done

24July2019

Why do we do it?

in: Activities, Safari Experience, Uncategorized by: Lydia Jwan

We are all in the move. Some move with a pretty clear understanding of where they are going, in which case people would call ambitious, focused, role models, you name it. The other group is the nonchalant, easy-going, live-in -the moment type who toss care to the wind. We all have these types of people in our inner circle. Each personality brings the best or the worst in us, but one thing remains for sure, they all form part of this closely-knit fabric without which we fall apart.

Then there’s the loners, the sojourners or backpackers. These don’t subscribe to the famous maxim “For the strength of the wolf is the pack, and the strength of the park is the wolf.” They are very loyal to solitude and go about everyday life in a manner only particular to them.

With all this evolution and growth in the human mindset. One thing has stood the test of time. The desire to know. To find meaning and understanding. To explore. This would explain why ancient explorers would leave the comfort of the familiar to seek something far much more significant- a knowledge of what’s out there. I imagine this is how most of these conversations went.

“ For heaven, sakes Vasco, get a grip of yourself! Who says there’s something far much better beyond our shores? Why go sailing unchartered waters?”

“But mother, how will I know if I don’t take the risk? There has to be something beyond that horizon. There has to.”

“We better get you a wife. Maybe that would give you a reason to stay,”

“Don’t sweat it mother, I’ll marry my kind.” Says Vasco as he storms out of their cottage.

Just like that Vasco da Gama sets off to a journey of the unknown. He finds himself in the tropical weathers. Back home was freezing, but here. This place is different. I will try not to indulge in the stereotypical writing of Africa’s sunsets, neither will I talk of its savannah and the Maasai because there’s much more to the continent itself than starving bushmen.

I will, however, talk about Africa’s beauty in a different light-the People. They say people make culture and that the opposite is false. I agree. Africa is vibrant because of its people. This continent became a transition point for many races after the Pangea broke. And for centuries we still find our way back. We come back to what our hearts know or longs.

Giraffe Center is one such confluence. One tributary comes carrying friends from Athens, another brings the explorers from Korea. One loner backpacking across North America may save enough just enough to come to Kenya or a curious individual watching Ellen DeGeneres’ experience at giraffe centre may decide to pack up and come have a feel of the same.

These rivers all meet up here. That is what makes Giraffe Center special. The joy shared by those having their first giraffe kisses or lack thereof due to fear draws them to a common understanding. We pride ourselves in being matchmakers. Giving people a taste of both worlds. Some of the friendships formed here last a lifetime, so do the connections. This is why we do what we do. Bring people closer and promote universal coexistence.

12July2019

A day in the life of our Intern

in: Activities1 Comment by: Lydia Jwan

A typical day for me as an educator at giraffe centre starts with a strong cup of coffee. It should be strong enough to get me up and about. Days can be long and hectic during these peak seasons, but one rule goes unspoken for an intern: always be on top your of your game. Today is a Wednesday, and Wednesdays are good days because we have chicken for lunch and who doesn’t like chicken?

My first task for the day is the packaging of pellets. Not my ideal way of starting the day but Ed, the giraffe, is present today and that most certainly is a sign of good luck. Ed was a case of love at first sight. I don’t like cheesy statements, but for Ed, I will make an exception. You see, if Ed were a man, then he would be the modern-day Idris Elba or Aqua man if you are into fiction. He is quite the gentleman with tender and amazing kisses.

From packaging pellets, I lead visiting students, if any, into a lecture hall. There I will give a full-on presentation on Sustainable Environmental Conservation and all there is to know about giraffes, why? Because I am an educator – quite a fancy name, in my opinion. The talks happen for the better part of my morning. I might change shifts with the intern at customer care and take over the issuing of pellets to our customers. It is interesting how a communication barrier is never a problem when it comes to food. Most of the time, guests know what to do with the pellets.

Later on, I move to the platform to facilitate the interaction of the guests and the giraffes. Here you will find two groups of people; the First timers who can’t seem to believe that they are up close to a giraffe,(Their eyes are always dreamy like they might have accidentally walked into a magic shop), and then there are the Regulars. These have who mastered their way around the giraffes and even know from experience that giraffe head butts are real. Either way, the fascination in their eyes every single time is priceless.

Someone asked me the other day, “what memories of this place are sure to stick with you even long after your internship?” My answer was obvious – the people. Each day I get an opportunity to interact with different personalities. One may be on a journey of backpacking across Africa; the other could be a couple that decided to take a vacation to Africa right after retirement. They all have fascinating stories to tell. Stories of which I never get enough. Having the ability to interact with these people and listen to their views on various topics has made me more open-minded and liberal, a gift I wouldn’t trade for anything.

The other group of people that have made a significant impact in shaping me as a person is the staff at giraffe centre. You see, my view of workspaces was that of a mean boss who seems to have taken a vow to make your life a living hell. At Giraffe Center, the opposite is true. It felt too good to be true at the beginning. But as time went by I learnt that it was the work ethic and the culture of the staff that made this place feel like a home away from home. Their authenticity in helping the interns grow socially, emotionally and professionally is praiseworthy. I, for one, would not hesitate to recommend a friend to work at here. Giraffe Centre indeed has the one in a million people, wonderful counsellors and genuine friends.

10July2019

Giving Back

in: Activities, Safari Experience, Safari Learn by: Lydia Jwan

Say one day you are sitting at a café after a long day of work taking iced tea or whatever it is you fancy. Across the road from the restaurant is a curio shop which seems to be having a sale. You’ve never seen a curio shop do promotional sales before, at least not one with mascots in giraffe and elephant costumes. How do they do it with all that heat – you wonder. Going back to your phone, you hear chatters and giggles. One laugh, in particular, attracts your attention. So you look up and see this group of school kids in hysterics. They look so fascinated by the mascots -I mean their eyes are even sparkling (am just assuming at this point cause how can you possibly see their eyes from across the road in a coffee shop).

They have been standing at the curio shop for almost an hour now. And as you leave to go home, you hear them talk of how they’d love to meet the real giraffes and elephants. The longing in their voices is so overwhelming. It takes you down memory lane. Childhood memories of going for school trips to national parks and how you could not sleep the night before any of these trips. You’d love to give them this experience because every child deserves to be happy.

At the Giraffe centre, we have enjoyed the privilege of bringing smiles to thousands of these children. The inspiration that brought to life our Ecological trips was not just born over a cup of tea but the desire to educate and pass on the knowledge of conservation. So for the last nineteen years, we have committed to taking school children, especially from rural or disadvantaged backgrounds to these day-long trip.

Each year, in partnership with Kerrigan Waves Trust, we take students from Mukuru Kayaba Primary School to the Ecological trips. These trips’ aim is to learn while having fun as some would call it- edutainment. It starts with a trip to our centre. Here the kids can feed the giraffes and if lucky kiss them too. The next stop takes us to Mamba Village, which is an Ostrich and Crocodile Farm. Did you know that crocodiles don’t have tongues? And that male Ostriches are called Roasters? Thought you should know, Cool stuff there!

From Mamba Village, the school proceeds to Nairobi Animal Orphanage. Here they see the Big Five animals and many other animals that have been orphaned or injured and are under rehabilitation. It is an amazing sight to come close to a roaring Lion or a panting buffalo. Their final stop is the David Sheldrick Animal Orphanage. Have you seen an elephant up close? They are magnificent creatures. Tender giants of sorts, and quite frankly my bias. The kids learn how emotional and demanding elephants can be, which explains why they are very social.

The day ends with a spectacular meal in which the educators and children interact and share exciting things they learnt from the trip. Eventually, we take them back to school and wait to read their compositions on that experience. It is a fulfilling job to give back, a habit that should be inculcated in all of us.