conservation

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.

A tale of wildlife photography

in: Safari Experience, Safari Learn by: Lydia Jwan

If you are an intrepid soul that only finds peace in the knowing, then David Attenborough would be your best friend. He being a curious individual by nature has spent a better part of his life exploring the wild and bringing it closer to our homes. I remember for the longest time the only TV channel we’d watch as a family that resonated with all of us and would almost immediately put an end to the remote control fights would be the Nat Geo Documentary – Blue Planet.

His calm voiceover as he spoke of the high seas and low tides took us to places we’d never been. I blame my introverted nature on of some these series because I would prefer sinking to a world of fantasy, my little haven of sorts, than having a mindless chatter with those around me. I know what you are thinking. Yes, this is not proper behaviour, especially in cooperate spaces. I am working on it. There’s always room for the personal growth right?

The other day, Netflix released David Attenborough’s documentary- Planet Earth. Now, I won’t lie to you because no one is paying me to promote it, but the truth is the series is dope! To show you that I have grown as an individual, my thought process consequently evolved from the lines of, are mermaids real to more sophisticated thoughts like what is the role photography in the conservation of wildlife?

So I did a bit of nose-diving, thank God for the internet!  and came across two intriguing wildlife photographers. Their works could arguably stem on inspiration from Sir Attenborough. Fun fact:  Sir David Attenborough was knighted by the Queen of England for his exemplary work in natural history programmes.

 

Let’s start with the less complicated photographer-  Matty Smith. So Matty is an ocean explorer and photographer who mainly focuses on showing the difference between the dry land and the deep seas. His collection, a Parallel Universe: Windows beneath the Waves, showcases some of the best- half over half under – water photographs the world has seen.

 His signature style of taking images of marine life has won him internationally acclaimed awards and recognition. One of his photos that gives me the creeps is the  Smiling Assassin which shows an American Crocodile lurking on the water surface but seems somewhat ready to pounce on his unwary self.

Karren Lunney is the second photographer who deals with more contemporary and  complex  ideas.  Her concepts rally around liminal spaces. In this case, liminal spaces mean states of transition, a point of uncertainty where a thing has ended, and another is yet to come.

 Take, for example, a rite of passage, the point just before you are initiated into adulthood. It is a point of uncertainty, and these are the kind of situations Karren loved to document in the wild.

Her famous collection, Dante’s Inferno. Showcases a confusion of wildebeest ( for my diligent students a confusion of wildebeest is the collective name for a group of wildebeest) migration as they cross over from the Maasai Mara to Serengeti plains. During the migration, the Wildebeest cross the Mara River which is inhabited by crocodiles, and some of the wildebeests fall, victim. In Karren’s view, it is a point of uncertainty if the wildebeests will make it to the other side of the river. It is also a test of bravery as with all rites of passage.

You all have to agree with me when I say, wildlife photography is not just a way of documenting our heritage but also a way of life. It is rather sad to note that very few Africans have actually ventured into this art of photography. And as the world evolves, I do hope we begin to document our own beauty as a continent.

Let’s talk Eco-therapy

in: Activities by: Lydia Jwan

Eco therapy

The other day I was browsing the internet looking for tips on mindfulness and meditation because hearsay has it that the two help rid us of bad energy and makes us whole again. I admit to being a curious individual in nature and trying out new things is sort of my life’s desideratum. So I kept digging from site to site and came across the concept of Forest Bathing.  Forest Bathing, despite its name,  doesn’t involve anything to do with water. Such a bummer, right? For a second, I was entertaining the idea of going skinny dipping in the woods.

So what is forest bathing you might ask?

Forest Bathing, also known as Shinrin-yoku in Japan, is a practise that was first developed in Japan around the 1980s by physicians to help patients improve their health and well being. I don’t know if you know this, but Japan is one of those counties in the world with a strict set of rules for anything and everything. So even though people have been roaming the forests since time immemorial, Japan just had to come up with instructions on how to do the walking while practising Shinrin-yoku.  Because we are all for healing souls and having green time,  I will be your very own Yoga sensei and take you through the process of forest bathing.

The first step is to find yourself a forest with a thick canopy, great news we have one right here at the giraffe centre. As you move into the woods make sure to heighten your senses, I don’t even know how am supposed to do that, but I’ll follow instructions none the less.  Slowly walk while touching the trees, looking at colours and patterns and listening to the chirping of birds. Important to note, like all being- one -with nature activities, cell phones are to be left behind. Give your body a chance to slow down and deeply breathe in the scent of the flowers. This almost sounds like a detergent commercial. At the end of the exercise, lie down under a canopy of trees and watch the colours of the leaves and the sky.

As I was writing this, someone said show don’t  tell. So I decided to go forest bathing to make sure I am feeding my audience with practical knowledge. See, taking a walk is one thing, but doing a Shinrin-yoku is another thing. It takes a great deal of patience and self-control to walk in these woods without a phone or camera because once in a while an exotic bird will start humming right above your head, and you won’t be able to record it. Then instead of focusing on being in the moment, your mind will just keep running back to your phone, at least that’s what happened to me.

While at the forest, I learnt a great deal about the trees, especially the Sycamore Fig ( Mugumo tree). Remember the cursed tree from the bible?, yes that’s the Mugumo tree. This tree for the longest time has been considered as sacred by many tribes from Kenya. 

Its fall is also believed to signify a major event in history is about to take place, whether negative or positive. I saw one fallen on my track, maybe the apocalypse is about to hit.

As forest cover continues to deplete, we pride ourselves here at the giraffe centre for having a natural habitat that still continues to thrive with different species and subspecies. At the end of the nature trail, I did feel much better so we can say the idea of forest bathing  may work. If you don’t make it to our trail,  find yourself a green space to meditate, but if you do, don’t forget to carry your camera- the phone can remain- because you don’t want to miss out on having captured beautiful pictures of birds and Dik Dik’s for your office table.

https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/econature-therapyhttps://www.additudemag.com/green-time-natural-adhd-remedy/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jun/08/forest-bathing-japanese-practice-in-west-wellbeinghttps://www.standardmedia.co.ke/ureport/article/2001233703/the-fall-of-mugumo-tree-what-does-it-symbolise

Bizarre Energy Sources

in: Uncategorized by: Lydia Jwan

As the world evolves and talks surrounding sustainability become a daily dose to people’s routines, one topic remains at the top of the charts, and that is renewable sources of energy. People are coming towards a common understanding that at this point fossil fuels need to go because they are the primary cause of our problems. So when you see an influencer go on Instagram promoting something green, not a soul is surprised because that’s what up, at least they are woke, we say.

The buzz surrounding Clean energy has got the World’s scientists pulling strings to come up with alternative sources of energy for our sustenance. Now I must warn you, some of these alternative sources of energy may seem quite over the top or ridiculous so to speak.

 

1. Coffee

Yes, you read that right. This is how green we are going friends. But how is that possible? Every morning as we wake up a large population of us resort to coffee, whether iced if you are enjoying summer or hot for us fellows of the tropical winter. Coffee powers our day,

 but what if it could do the same for our cars? You see coffee waste thrown away by countless shops across the country can actually be used to produce bio-diesel. Cool right? Well, the production of energy through coffee is still underway, but this form of energy is proving to be quite efficient and cost-cutting. I am getting myself a coffee-powered vehicle in the future if they are mass produced because no one likes FOMO ( FOMO for my pre-millennial audience being the Fear Of Missing Out)

2. Chocolate

It just keeps getting better. So we found something better to do with chocolate other than handing it over to valentine dates. And on that note, I would like to demystify the stereotype of chocolate and ladies – no, not all girls love chocolate. Anyway, chocolate waste from factories, according to research, can be fed to a bacteria E.coli to produce Hydrogen, which is one of the cleanest fuels in existence.

The fat from the chocolate can also be converted to biofuel and used to power cars, now that’s a sweet deal!

3. Body Heat

Harnessing body heat to produce energy is one of the energy sources above that has proven viable since implementation in Sweden. The heat generated by people crowding subway stations year in year out can be harnessed and used to heat water or redirected to offices during cold weather to heat up the rooms and save us from wasting electricity.

 

Excellent I must say!

Last but not least. Ye who love going out to drink on Friday nights, what if all that energy you used showing off your dancing skills would power your kettle the next day for a cup of coffee to help with the migraine. This is what some would call a win-win situation, but I call it forward thinking. How does it work?                

The dancing floor is fitted with piezoelectric material. These materials produce energy when vibrated. So as we move towards mechanisation, dance battles in clubs will no longer be a 90s thing because… well, we are trying to be sustainable.  

Way to go!                          

References

​https://greentumble.com/10-strange-sources-of-alternative-energy/ 

 
 
 

Sick in the Wild

in: Safari Learn1 Comment by: Lydia Jwan

You know for the tallest animal existing, poise and glamour
is their way of life – nothing of news. 
And as the Victoria Secret’s of the wild ( Uhm,, they don’t call
themselves that, but work with me here) being sick is not a welcome respite. In
fact, sickness is just never a topic to whine about around there, I mean what
else would you want when you’ve got antiseptic saliva?

Well, that may not have been the case for Nandi the giraffe.
On Saturday, we notice that Nandi is gloomy and aloof. One might mistake this
for the cold weather  Nairobi has been
serving us, but at a closer look, his ever-smooth fur coat is rough, and his
nose is running.  Could he be sick? But
from what? Remember when I said giraffes have antiseptic saliva? Well, let’s
just say diarrhoea doesn’t care much about that because Nandi our girl had a
severe running stomach.

In this millennial age, we could call Nandi a foodie because
she, unlike others, is not keen on observing her diet. So anything and
everything works for her, and we all know how that goes. The exact food she
might have eaten that caused this is yet to be understood, but some speculate
grass. Good news ! she’s now under the medication and close supervision from
the rangers. Her health is steadily improving as she recuperates in isolation.

Over the last decade, a strange disease has also been noted in one of Rothschild’s cousins, the Masai giraffes. This species of giraffes widely spread in Northern Tanzania and Southern Kenya have been observed to have a  rare kind of skin disease. The disease is characterized by large grey crusty lesions that form on different parts the giraffe’s body mostly around the legs and the neck region.

Giraffes with these lesions seem rather inert  and could be an easy target for predators such
as lions. While it’s a feast for the Lions, the giraffes can’t help but feel
offended because they have never been known to give in so easily. And while the
disease has not been recorded in the Rothschild Giraffe, its causes and
treatment are yet to be found.

Research is still being conducted on the GSD ( Giraffe Skin
Disease) to determine the exact cause of the infection and if this disease is
mortal to the species. In other news, watch your diet, stay healthy, don’t be
like Nandi!

One minute to midnight

in: Activities by: Lydia Jwan

The world of conservation must have been thrown into a frenzy when Robert Langdon released his very own version of the “apocalypse” in his book- Inferno. ‘We are one minute to Midnight!’ is one of the phrases that are sure to catch your eye when you open the book. You see, this book could take some of us through an existential crisis, I know I did. So when you see the damage we humans have caused and are continuing to do to our planet, you begin to realize that we might be the cancer to our very own existence.

The phrase ‘We are one minute to Midnight’ was one of my Aha moments in conservation!

Up until then, I viewed the concept of Reduce Reuse Recycle as rote learning, a repeated commercial if anything. Then I came across the idea of Midnight being the hour of our fall when climate change won’t just be another abstract idea but man’s biggest nightmare. The human race has always suffered the stubbornness of habit; we begin to make a change when pain is involved. And while I don’t agree with Robert Langdon’s idea of wiping off half the human race, one cannot fail to see from where he’s coming.

To many the idea of Environmental conservation or conservation at large could be termed as an acquired taste, and I pray it is because then we know that the awareness is out there. What we choose to do with this valuable information is up to us to decide. At Africa Fund for Endangered Wildlife, we have made it a tradition to make sure this information is passed down from generations to generations for the last 21 years.

Last Friday, 7th June 2019, we hosted our annual Prize giving day marking the end of the Environmental Competitions 2019. Once again, students from all levels of education participated in different categories of art and essays. The spirits were high as the music and dance brought us all under one theme.

I do have one question though, who introduced the Odi dance? This person deserves presidential recognition because finding a genre that brings together both the young and old in laughter is not an easy fete.  And who said the young are not wise? Because I beg to differ. The winning artwork and essay entries this year were a product of pure wit if not intelligence.

Expectations were met, even by the toddlers gracing us with their heartfelt poems on preserving planet Earth. Let’s take a conscious step to conserve our planet. It doesn’t hurt to use that metal straw to save the turtles at sea neither does it hurt to plant two trees when you cut down one. I could go on and on about the festivities of this day, but that’s for you to find out next year when you join us. Long story short, it was a good day! Do live and let others live.

Students being taught about trees at the A Rocha Kenya.

The WAVES Ecology Scheme

in: Activities1 Comment by: Giraffe Centre

Wendell Berry, a recipient of The National Humanities Medal, once said, “The Earth is what we all have in Common.” A very simple, probably common sense knowledge, but very powerful. It’s a quote that spark our minds to realize ways that ensures posterity of the earth. This is where, Kerrigan Savage Waves Trust comes into play.

Kerrigan Savage Waves Trust (WAVES in short), decided to partner with Giraffe Centre in spreading the conservation message. They have concentrated their efforts to needy school going children. Since the year 2000, together with Giraffe Centre, we are running an ecology program. The target being all Class 5 children from 5 primary schools in the slums of Nairobi and form 1 students of Starehe School. We give them a fully paid ecology trip to wildlife Centres around Nairobi. Some the wildlife centres the students are taken to include, Giraffe Centre, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, A ROCHA Kenya, Mamba Village and the Nairobi Safari walk. All these places give visitors valuable information about conservation of the environment.

Students at the Mamba village during their ecology trip sponsored by Kerrigan Savage Waves Trust

Other than educating the students, they also fund school projects that are environmentally inclined. The interesting requirement for the projects they fund is that the projects have to be owned by the school. Which means that the students are to be fully involved in the implementation, the school should see and use the output to better their daily activities and the community should embrace it.

Art on the Conservation of Nature
“He that plants trees loves others besides himself.” —Thomas Fuller

So in a very big way, WAVES, are doing all of us a big favor in making sure that this commonly shared resource is being used well. efficiently for now and preserved for posterity.

Thank you very much WAVES for all the support you are offering in environmental conservation and education.



School Visits And Booking

in: Activities by: admin

Several times we have been asked what we do with the money you pay as entry to Giraffe Centre. Well, one of them is allowing school groups to visit the Giraffe Centre free of charge. While at the Giraffe Centre, they get to learn about the environment and its importance. To make sure the students grasp the concepts, we have the lessons customized depending on where the school is coming from.

To achieve this goal without interfering with the guests as they enjoy their day with us, we have come up with a procedure on how to bring the school groups to our premises.

To know the procedure, please click here to get the school booking letter

Kindly adhere to this to ensure that we serve you best.

How to Feed a Giraffe: A List of Recommendations

in: Activities by: Wambui Muriithi

Feeding a giraffe can be a daunting thing… What do you do? What will the giraffe do? But, it is also an exciting experience! What a graceful and beautiful animal…and you have an opportunity to get up close and personal with it. For some, it gets pretty close, personal and intimate (#IKissedAGiraffe).

Whether you’d like to keep it purely professional or get cosy, here are some recommendations on how to feed the giraffe.

  1. Feed the giraffe one pellet at a time on its tongue, using your thumb and index finger to hold the pellet.
  2. Do not feed the giraffe with an open hand and do not stretch out your palm with pellets on it.
  3. Do not tease the giraffe, feed it when you have the pellets in your hands.
  4. Do not approach the giraffes without the pellets as they tend to headbutt.
  5. Do not feed the giraffe on any other thing other than the pellets or foliage provided by our Education Officers or Guides.
  6. Do not make any loud noises or sudden movements while feeding the giraffes. 
  7. Kindly note that the Giraffe Centre is a No Smoking Zone.
  8. Kindly allow our guides to assist you whenever in doubt.

Let us know how your experience was! Tag us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

A Brand New AFEW Website

in: Announcements by: admin

Do you notice something different around here? That’s right, we have given our website a facelift.

More than that, it’s has been completely redesigned.

We want to share the heart of our organisation with you in a new and meaningful way. It took us designing it around our key mission and around you, our visitors and supporters. Now, you have the full sensory Giraffe Centre experience.

You will be able to see, hear and engage with us as we work every day to make a lasting impact on lives’ of students, schools and communities.

Here are some additional things you’ll see:

  • It is much easier to use across desktop, mobile devices and tablets.
  • Our new design gives you clear and easy paths to what you need. Whether you want to learn about our giraffe family, plan your time at our centre or download our manuals and posters. The path is laid out for you so you can easily get the information you’re looking for.
  • We’ve dedicated a page to our Conservation Education work, bringing what we do front and centre.
  • Want to support the Giraffe Centre? Support our work with students, teachers and communities and consider how your contribution will make a difference at our Donate section. Do you have a question for us? Visit our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) or Contact Us.
  • And finally, we have a new blog. This is where we will feature regular stories about our work and the various ways our staff and partners are working to save our beautiful planet. We continue to be inspired by the passion and dedication of the people who work with us, their stories will do the same for you. Visit often or sign up for Giraffe News, our newsletter.

We are quite proud of the journey we’ve walked with our digital strategy partner – Nendo. From audit to blueprint and now to execution and roll-out. They worked tirelessly to create this experience and help us learn to serve you better.

We trust you will enjoy the new look and feel of the Giraffe Centre website. Most of all, we hope it breathes new life into our conservation efforts. Anything we missed? Please let us know, there’s always room for improvement.

And of course, do share the news about our wonderful new site to your friends – it really is a way for you to support us.

To keep up to date with all the latest news from us, simply sign up to our newsletter.

Sincerely,
Christine Nyang’aya 
Chief Executive Officer,
Africa Fund for Endangered Wildlife, Kenya