Fourteen Angolan giraffes walk into a truck ... and then travel more than 800 miles to their historical homeland, where they had been locally extinct for decades. The migrant giraffes rode unsedated for more than 36 hours this week from Namibia to their new home in Iona National Park, in Angola.
Who are they?
What's the big deal?
What are people saying? Stephanie Fennessy, executive director of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, spoke to NPR's Adrian Florido about the initiative.
On what happened to the giraffes in Angola:
They used to live in Angola, Namibia, Botswana and parts of Zambia. But during the civil unrest and civil war in Angola, giraffes are really easy animals to poach, and there's a lot of meat on them. So they were really war fodder and went extinct during the civil unrest in the country.
On the importance of returning these giraffes to their native territory:
I mean, obviously, any animal is important for biodiversity and for conservation and to have the right mix of animals in the country. So giraffes are landscape shapers, they're pollinators, so they're an important part of the ecosystem. But it's also obviously a prestigious project. I mean, Angola without Angolan giraffes sounds a little bit ridiculous, doesn't it?
On their release into their new habitat:
It's always amazing to see giraffes put their first steps into a new environment, where they have been locally extinct for a long time. I mean, it's really emotional. Obviously, the move has been really stressful years in the making. We started with feasibility studies basically two years ago. So when it finally happens, it's just a big relief and you're exhilarated. It's really, really exciting. And yeah, the giraffes are doing well. We tagged most of them with the GPS satellite tracker, so I can sit now here in my office and look where they move and they are just exploring their new habitat and finding their feet.
So what now?
Now that Angola is peaceful again, conservationists hope this move is just the beginning of efforts to reintroduce wildlife — here and at other African parks. These 14 giraffes will need to be monitored to ensure they're thriving, but there are ongoing discussions on bringing other animals into the park. "Fourteen is a great start," says Fennessy. "But to really have a feasible, satellite population, it would probably be helpful to bring some more. But let's first see how these ones go and then be taken from there."
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