Giraffes bring peace to Kenyan communities once at odds
The Peninsula
Baringo, Kenya: On a vast farm in Kenya s Rift Valley, a veterinarian carefully takes aim before shooting a tranquiliser dart and sending another gira...
Baringo, Kenya: On a vast farm in Kenya's Rift Valley, a veterinarian carefully takes aim before shooting a tranquiliser dart and sending another giraffe sinking slowly to the ground before it is roped and blindfolded.
It is the first stage of a delicate operation by the Kenya Wildlife Service to move a group of the endangered animals to a conservancy around 140 kilometres (90 miles) to the east.
The subdued giraffe is kept at the farm in Sergoit along with seven others for an acclimatisation period of about 10 days, before being transported to their new home.
The Rothschild's giraffes, a distinct subspecies, are being resettled in the Ruko Conservancy in Baringo County as part of a long-running initiative to ease communal tensions there.
While the East African nation is renowned for its spectacular wildlife, its northern counties such as Baringo are more often in the news for banditry and ethnic clashes.