Giraffe Center – Nairobi
The AFEW (African Fund for Endangered Wildlife) Giraffe Centre is located in Langata, just outside Nairobi.
The centre has been ostensibly set up as a breeding centre for the endangered Rothschild giraffe, but now operates conservation/education programs for Kenyan school children.
There is good information on giraffes available here, and an elevated feeding platform where visitors meet the resident giraffes face to face.
Hand feeding giraffes is an education in itself. You will see, close at hand, how they use their long, prehensile tongues to remove leaves from prickly acacia branches.
The AFEW centre is also home to Giraffe Manor, a beautifully maintained colonial home, now an exclusive guesthouse.
The centre’s giraffe population wander freely through the lush gardens, and pay an occasional visit to the house itself, often pushing their heads through the French Windows to inspect the breakfast table.
Giraffe Pedigrees – Giraffes are found in the semi-arid regions of Africa, where trees and bushes are plentiful. Today there are 8 distinct sub-species of Giraffes in Africa. In Kenya there is the Rothschild Giraffe which is the rarest, the Maasai Giraffe of Southern Kenya which is the most commonly seen and the Reticulated Giraffe of Northern Kenya. They live to be twenty to thirty years old. Their main enemy is man who kills them for their meat and hide. Their main defense is their keen eyesight, running speed (up to 55km/per hour) and their powerful kicks.
Giraffe Centre Birds Sanctuary – The indigenous forest is a remnant of the natural forest that once surrounded Nairobi. It comprises of over 100 acres of dry upland forest that is the larger ecosystem that originally comprised of the current Ngong forest and Ololua forest hence similar vegetation. The birds list in the sanctuary includes African Crowned Eagle, African Cuckoo Hawk, African Goshawk, African Green Pigeon, African Harrier – Hawk, African Spoonbill, African White – Backed Vulture, Augur Buzzard, Bateleur Eagle, Black Kite, Black Stork, Black-Shouldered Kite, Blacksmith Plover, Cattle Egret, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Crowned Plover among many other species.
The Nature Trail – The trail stretches about 1.5 kilometers meandering through thick bushes and forests. This leisurely stroll begins directly in front of the parking lot at the Giraffe Centre. This is a large tract of dry upland forest that existed in the area known today as Nairobi. There are variety of animals that make this forest their home including the giraffes, warthogs, hyenas and at times a leopard. In this sanctuary the original forest has been preserved for the giraffe and has also kept intact the habitat for many other animals that are sometimes encountered as one takes a walk down the trail.
Other Activities – The other activities undertaken by the centre include: Regular clean-ups in the National Park and of the neighboring community helps to keep the surroundings clean, the Giraffe Centre holds a National Environmental Competition where children in four age group categories compete in essay writing, wildlife art or photography, Planting of over 4,000 indigenous Acacia seedlings in ‘The Greening the Amboseli Project’, Training of Trainers Workshops, resource materials development and education of the many visiting schools at the Centre in daily basis, he Centre also targeted a special programme for underprivileged children from slums, orphanages, rehabilitation centers to go on educational trips that are termed as ‘Ecology Trips for the Underprivileged Children’.
Gift Shop – The Gift Shop offers a chance to help and uplift communities neighboring the Centre variety through the sale of African Art crafts that have been sourced from them.