Endangered Giraffes Trapped On An Island Had Experts Hatching A Wild Plan To Save Them

Though his heart is racing from all the adrenaline, David O’Connor is still totally focused on his mission. He and his team have just bundled their exotic cargo on board their one-of-a-kind raft – the race, then, is on. There’s no time to waste: the wild animal in their care could stir at any moment and prove as dangerous as the crocodiles swimming in the lake beneath their hand-built craft. The team are in a treacherous situation, but if they don’t get this creature to land soon, then total disaster awaits.

Time was running out

This moment is a big one for O’Connor and his team. This enormous giraffe that they’ve taken from Longicharo Island in Kenya is very special, as are the seven others that have been left behind. These animals are endangered, so conservationists need to do all they can to keep them safe. In this case, that means getting every single one of them off the island as quickly as possible.

An endangered species

These creatures are what we call Rothschild’s giraffes, an animal whose very existence is in an extremely precarious position today. With fewer than 3,000 of these remarkable creatures left across the entire African continent, we really can’t afford to lose any more. If things get worse, the whole subspecies might disappear from the Earth for good.

No room for error

That’s why the stakes are so high for O’Connor – the president of Texas-based charity Save Giraffes Now – and the other conservationists. The sheer scale of the threat to the Rothschild’s giraffe subspecies means that drastic action is needed if this group of eight is to be saved from the perils of Longicharo Island. Disaster is quickly closing in on these animals.

Paradise lost

There’s a tragic irony to the situation on Longicharo Island. Not long ago, conservationists had identified this place as a haven where Rothschild’s giraffes could thrive. But as things turned out, they couldn’t have been more wrong about that. The giraffes’ home is becoming more and more inhospitable with each passing day. Without intervention, they’ll lose their lives and their whole subspecies will be thrust ever closer towards extinction.