Kenya: From Giraffe Conflict to Guardianship – A Journey of Trust and Transformation

This transformation, which led to a 90% reduction in retaliatory giraffe killings, was led by Dr. Abdullahi H. Ali and his team at the Hirola Conservation Program, who participated in our 5-day capacity-building workshops.

Conflict: Somali giraffes frequently wandered into farms and homesteads around Garissa, particularly targeting mango and guava groves near water sources. Farmers often woke to find their crops devastated - dozens of pounds of flowers and leaves gone overnight. These losses were more than just financial; they created fear, frustration, and sometimes anger, straining daily life and livelihoods.

Retaliatory actions were common: snares and other lethal measures had killed 20 giraffes over two years, with roughly 50 injuries reported annually. Relationships between farmers, pastoralists, and wildlife authorities were also strained. Previous interventions from enforcement patrols to awareness campaigns failed as they addressed symptoms rather than root causes, leaving communities feeling unheard.

Our Role: The Houston Zoo has long supported its conservation partners and staff in participating in our workshops, recognizing the consistent and transformative results they deliver for both people and conservation. In 2024, they sponsored Dr. Abdullahi H. Ali, a conservation leader from Garissa, Kenya, who had spent years working to protect giraffes and support communities affected by human-wildlife conflict. He attended our 5-day Conservation Conflict Transformation (CCT) workshop that year.

Result:
The CCT workshop gave Dr Abdullahi and his team a deeper understanding that disputes over wildlife reflect deeper social, psychological and identity-based conflicts. The team applied the practical skills they learned in facilitating dialogue, building trust and co-developing solutions.

This transformation has produced visible and lasting change across communities in Garissa.

• Only two giraffes have been lost to retaliation since early 2025, compared to twenty in the previous two years — a remarkable turnaround.

• Farms using at least two deterrents reported 70% fewer giraffe visits, reducing crop damage and stress for both farmers and giraffes.

• Farmers, pastoralists and rangers now actively collaborate, and communities are developing a sense of guardianship over Somali giraffes, seeing them as part of their shared landscape.

The workshop inspired Abdullahi and his team to design the Giraffe Toolbox, a community-led innovation that combines motion-sensor lamps, beehive fences, and reflective scarecrows to safely protect crops. Rooted in CCT principles, it embodies the shift from reactive conflict management to collaborative coexistence.

Farmers are now planting lime seedlings as a natural deterrent, supported by the Hirola Conservation Program, which also connects them to new markets in Nairobi. Collaboration among farmers, pastoralists, rangers, and conservation staff has replaced isolation and reactivity. Communities now report giraffe incidents more frequently and engage early to prevent conflict, showing greater ownership and shared responsibility.

Longer-term, communities are developing a sense of guardianship over Somali giraffes, seeing them as part of their shared landscape rather than threats. Through trust, dialogue, and practical tools, a culture of coexistence is taking root - proving that even the most challenging conflicts can be transformed when people and wildlife are considered together.