In
Four Days
We Met Our
Goal

Mike Parkei is a conservation ranger specializing in caring for and rehabilitating giraffes at Ruko Conservancy on the shores of Lake Baringo in Kenya. He is also one of the most important figures in the extraordinary rescue and relocation of endangered Rothschild’s giraffes threatened by rising floodwaters in 2020. When the lake began to swallow their island home, Mike played a central role in the painstaking effort to save the last remaining herd. He worked for months alongside local communities and conservation partners to carefully guide and transport the giraffes across crocodile-filled waters on a specially built barge. At the height of this crisis, he slept on the flooded island for months at a time, living in constant danger alongside the giraffes, far from his wife and young children, to ensure their survival.

Mike has dedicated his life to these animals, often spending up to 10 months a year in the field and only brief periods at home with his family, quietly sacrificing safety, stability, and irreplaceable time with his loved ones for the protection of wildlife in crisis. Today, he is seriously ill with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) resulting in kidney failure and urgently needs support for his medical care and treatment.

He needs urgent life-saving treatment for 6 months.

His condition includes:

• Progressive kidney failure (left kidney severely affected)
• Dialysis treatment history
• Severe physical weakness and complications affecting daily function
• Ongoing evaluation for kidney transplant

He will receive treatment at the Nakuru Heart Center must undergo weekly sessions.

treatment cost but also Mike’s travel, accommodation, and living expenses during recovery. As a full‑time ranger, he’s currently without salary while undergoing treatment.