Feature: Uganda beats odds as giraffe numbers dwindle worldwide

Seguya, a giraffe here at the Uganda Wildlife Education Center (UWEC) in central Uganda, saunters into his encampment as an ambassador of giraffes in the wild asking the world to spare their lives.

Seguya, a name given to him after a local conservationist, is a gentle animal who sometimes is fed on carrots by his visitors at the wild animal sanctuary.

Like the human finger prints, Seguya has a unique pattern of patches on his skin that cannot be found anywhere in the world, according to conservationists.

"Every giraffe is different from the other. You cannot find a giraffe with the same pattern as the other. This is why losing any giraffe is a big loss," Isaac Mujaasi, UWEC's Marketing and Public Relations Officer told Xinhua in a recent interview.

A new report by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature shows that the population of the world's tallest land mammals have plummeted in the last 30 years from an estimated 157,000 to about 97,500 last year.

The global conservation body warns that the species is now 'vulnerable' to extinction, attributing the drop to shrinking habitat and illegal hunting.

The body says increasing human population which leads to destruction of the giraffe habitant as people look for land for cultivation is one of the key issues threatening the existence of giraffes.

The giraffes are also hunted down for meat and their tails are sometimes sold to the Middle East where they are used as a status symbol among the rich.

Although there is a global drop in the numbers, the herds in Uganda are growing. The east African country has had to relocate some giraffes from one protected area to another to be able to balance the numbers and avoid over grazing.

Conservationist attribute this to the strict legal framework and increased public awareness to protect giraffes.

"We are unique not only because we have enabling laws but also the government will to implement the laws. In the 1970s and 1980s we had very weak laws but there is government will to revise laws so that we have penalties to deter you from committing wildlife crime," Mujaasi said.

Uganda being a signatory to many international treaties to safe guard wildlife has also contributed to the protection of giraffes. Mujaasi said this has helped to attract charities, non-governmental organizations and development partners to fund conservation efforts.

He said it is these efforts that are driving up the number of giraffes in the country.

In the 1980s giraffe numbers in Uganda had gone down to 280 individuals but from 2010 to 2014, the numbers went up and they are currently about 880, according to UWEC figures.

GENTLE ANIMALS

Giraffes are known to be gentle animals but when provoked, just like any other wild animals, can be dangerous.

According to Mujaasi, one kick of a giraffe can shutter the jaw of an elephant.

Giraffes used to be hunted down by lions but they have learnt the survival mechanisms in the wild.

When they are going to drink water, they take turns as others are on the lookout. Endit