Protecting Hwange’s Last Giraffe

In partnership with International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) this project will improve the ability of rangers to protect giraffes and other wildlife within Hwange National Park. Hwange NP spans 3.5 million acres ((5,400 square miles) — an area equivalent to Yellowstone and Grand Canyon national parks combined. It’s protected by only 127 Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife (ZimParks) anti-poaching rangers.

Southern giraffe have declined sharply in Hwange over the past 25 years, from over 14,500 to about 1,600 today. The giraffe have been hit hard by direct poaching as well as by specialized snares by poachers to snag giraffe, leading to a slow and agonizing death. These threats are increasing due to coal mines and their settlements being established around the park.

However, the remaining giraffe in Hwange represent 20% of the entire giraffe population in Zimbabwe. As such, we must act NOW to protect these remaining giraffe, and give them the opportunity to thrive, and repopulate Hwange back to their former levels. 

Save Giraffes Now in collaboration with ZimParks and IFAW are offering hope to the last giraffe in Hwange in two key ways. First by providing counter-poaching training for the ZimParks rangers — to detect and stop poachers before they kill. Secondly through the deployment of specialized teams of anti-poaching rangers and wildlife vets who patrol critical sectors of the Park and actively seek out and remove the snares targeting giraffe. Additionally, these teams can treat giraffe who are still alive, but badly injured by the snares.