Nairobi Giraffe Center : The giraffe center is an amazing and unmissable wildlife site in Nairobi city perfect for Giraffe Lovers, the center is located Lang’ata approximately 20 kilometers from the center of Nairobi, Kenya (Duma Road).
The Giraffe Center is a must for visitors on a layover in Nairobi, a business trip or on a safari to other famous Kenya safari destinations, the famous Giraffe center was founded and is run by the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife (AFEW).
The Giraffe center is undoubtedly one of Nairobi’s Best – loved tourist attractions as tourists get a chance to interact and feed the majestic giraffes, the center was originally set up as a breeding program for the endangered Rothschild’s giraffe. The center offers visitors a chance to get up close and personal with these magnificent creatures.
Rothschild’s giraffes also known as the Baringo or Uganda giraffes is beautiful majestic giraffe easily identified from other subspecies by the fact that it has no markings below the knee and its spots are varied in shape and are composed of two tones. In the wild, the Rothschild giraffes are only found in Kenya and Uganda with Lake Nakuru national park – Kenya and Murchison Falls National Park being the best places to see them, however their numbers in the wild are still low.
History of The Giraffe Center
The Giraffe Center came into existence in 1979 when it was founded as a breeding program for Rothschild’s giraffes by Jock Leslie-Melville – the Kenyan grandson of a Scottish Earl and his wife Betty. The Leslie – Melvilles decided to remedy the decline of the subspecies which had been driven to the brink of extinction by loss of habitats in the western Kenya. In 1979, only estimated 130 Rothschild’s giraffes were remaining in the wilderness of Kenya.
The Leslie-Melvilles started a breeding programme with two captured baby giraffes which were hand reared at their home in Lang’ata, the site of the current center. Over years, the center has successfully re-introduced breeding pairs of Rothschild’s giraffes to several Kenyan national parks including Ruma national park and Lake Nakuru national park. Through the efforts of programs like this of the giraffe center, the population of wild Rothschild’s giraffes has now risen to around 1,500 individuals.
In 1983, the Leslie – Melvilles completed work on an environmental education and visitor’s center which was opened to the general public for the first time later the same year. Through this new initiative, the center’s founders hoped to spread awareness of the subspecies’ plight to a much wider audience.
Mission & Vision
Today, the Giraffe Center is a non- profit organization with the dual purpose of breeding giraffes and promoting conservation education in Kenya. In particular the center’s education initiatives are geared towards Kenyan school children with the vision of instilling in the next generation the knowledge and respect required for humans and wildlife to eco-exist in harmony.
To encourage local people to take interest in the project, the center offers greatly discounted admission fees for Kenya natives.
The Giraffe Center also runs art workshops for local school children, the results are displayed and sold to tourists at the center gift shop. The proceeds of the gift shop, Tea House and sales from tickets all help to fund free environmental outings for underprivileged Nairobi children. In this way, visit he Giraffe Center is not just a fun day out, it is also a way of helping to secure the future of conservation in Kenya.
Things to Do
The highlight of visiting the Giraffe Center is meeting the giraffes themselves, the center has a raised observation deck over the animals’ natural enclosure offering a unique elevated view and a chance to stroke and hand-feed any giraffes that are feeling friendly.
There is also an auditorium onsite where you can sit in on talks about giraffe conservation and about the initiatives with which the center is currently involved.
After an encounter with the giraffes, it is worth exploring the center’s Nature Trail which wends its way for 1.5 kilometers / 1 mile through the adjacent 95- acre wildlife sanctuary. On this trail, you can spot warthogs, antelopes, monkeys and several bird species.
The gift shop at the Giraffe Center is a great place to stock up on locally made arts and crafts, the Tea House overlooking the giraffe enclosure offers light refreshment.
Practical Information About The Giraffe Center
The Giraffe Center is located approximately 3 miles from Nairobi City center
The center is open from 09:00 am to 5:00 pm including weekends and public holidays.
Book your visit to the Giraffe Center Today.
