Fences Were Killing Giraffe. Together, we stopped it.
Dear Giraffe Friends,
Last month (August 2025), Save Giraffes Now, RAMAT Wildlife Society, and Kenya Wildlife Service launched a much needed rescue operation to rescue giraffe trapped across 42 privately fenced properties in Kajiado Central, an area of Kenya located near the Tanzanian border.
While the fences were initially erected by property owners for security or grazing management, they unfortunately became unintended cages for the endangered Maasai giraffe in this region. In just two years, at least 30 giraffe died after getting tangled in these fences. Poachers also turned these barriers into easy traps, making the crisis even worse.
Photo: Giraffe trapped within one of the fenced properties in Kajiado Central.
“Our primary goal is the survival of the Maasai Giraffe in the landscape. Having them isolated inside fence barriers diminishes their security, their health and ability to breed.”
– Mr. Francis Mbaka, Assistant Director Kenya Wildlife Service
Over the course of two weeks, teams carefully removed sections of fencing, creating escape paths for giraffe while ensuring communities stayed protected.
Photos: The field teams coordinating which sections of the fence to remove to allow the giraffe to escape.
These giraffe have now been successfully rescued and are able to reconnect with other populations and breed. We will now work with the local communities on best ways to protect them and reduce human-wildlife conflict to ensure the long-term survival of this beautiful species that calls this region home.
