Somali Giraffe Project 

In 2022, Palm Beach Zoo's team began to fund the research arm of the Somali Giraffe Project. Unbeknownst to the world, giraffes have been disappearing in numbers rivaling that of elephants and rhinoceroses. These iconic creatures are struggling to survive due to poaching, habitat destruction, draught, disease, and human conflict. In Kenya, close to the border of Somalia, the Somali Giraffe Project headed by Dr. Adbullahi Ali was established as “a trans-boundary community-based conservation project that focuses on the conservation and recovery of the endangered reticulated giraffe through research, education and community involvement. The region is largely made of communal lands of nomadic Somali people, which are unprotected from the threats menacing the giraffes. In addition to working with local people to change their perception of giraffe conservation, Dr. Ali also will collar 30 reticulated giraffes to better understand their movements and interactions with human populations. The data will be used to better inform effective conservation efforts for the Somali giraffes. This will be the largest giraffe collaring project in Africa.  

One of the subjects of the Somali Giraffe Project is to understand the causes of and reduce vehicular collisions with giraffes. Building corridors allowing the free, unharmed movement of giraffes across roadways may be the solution.