The world's tallest animal is in trouble! Across most of #Africa, giraffe numbers are declining - estimated continental population is 111,000 which is a quarter the estimated number of African elephants - and taxonomists now recognise four species, the Northern (with 3 sub-species), Southern (with 2 sub-species), Masai and Reticulated - there's a helpful chart here: https://twitter.com/RazackMoussa87/status/1274425005439365120/photo/1
To draw attention to their plight, 21st June has been designated #WorldGiraffeDay, and so my 95th video to #BrightenYourDay during the #Covid19 #pandemic #lockdown, takes you behind the scenes at the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre​ to meet their Nubian Giraffes Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis. Note: formerly known as the Rothschild's Giraffe, a recent taxonomic revision concluded that they are the same as the Nubian sub-species. The white legs are a characteristic feature.
The video was shot a year ago yesterday, though I hadn't realised then that the longest day of the year (in the northern hemisphere) was to become a celebration of the tallest mammal. I'd been in Entebbe for the 3rd Meeting of the Parties to the Gorilla Agreement (a legally binding treaty under the UN Convention on Migratory Species to ensure gorillas survive in their natural habitat), hosted by the Uganda Government. After the formal meeting ended, delegates were invited to a behind the scenes tour of the UWEC which is active in giraffe translocation in partnership with the Uganda Wildlife Authority​ and the Giraffe Conservation Foundation​. What a treat to see these extraordinary animals up close and personal!
For more info on UWEC, see https://uwec.ug/
and on the #Giraffe Conservation Foundation's work in #Uganda, see https://giraffeconservation.org/programmes/uganda-programme/