7 October 2026
Article: Life and Survival of Nubian Giraffes: The Return of the Graceful Giant
“Community commitment has helped bring Nubian giraffes back to Zeraff Game Reserve. Their lasting survival now depends on turning that commitment into sustained protection. If we focus on solving nature-based programming such as climate change, agriculture, trees planting, and safe fishing, rather, than solely on emergencies, we can tackle emergencies with ease” Ruei Hoth – ACD`s Executive Director
In February 2026, camera traps recorded a long-awaited sight at Zeraff Game Reserve of South Sudan’s Sudd Wetland. Pictures recorded by ACD camera traps in Chotkol village near Old Fangak town showed nine giraffes returning home after eight years of reported absence, attributed largely to poaching. Their reappearance brought hope to communities that once watched the graceful giants disappear from their landscape.
Yet the photographs capture more than the return of wildlife. They represent years of patient engagement, difficult journeys and a growing community determination to protect animals that had become vulnerable to hunting. They also raise an urgent question: now that the giraffes have returned, can they remain safe?
Since 2019, ACD, Save Giraffes Now (SGN), Community Wildlife Ambassadors (CWAs) and Community Peace Advocates (CPAs) have worked together to strengthen support for Nubian giraffe protection. Community meetings and workshops created opportunities to discuss poaching, destructive bush burning and the importance of conserving wildlife habitats. Education programs in public schools brought these messages to younger generations, while public rallies encouraged collective action.
Advocacy discussions on Miraya FM and participation in conservation forums in Juba and Bor extended the campaign beyond villages surrounding the reserve. Together, these activities helped make giraffe conservation a public concern, linking the survival of wildlife to community responsibility and the future of the landscape.
Some of the most significant contributions came from communities themselves. Residents joined hands with ACD and contributed funds for field missions to reach people involved in poaching in remote forests. These encounters sought to win their support for conservation and encourage them to become Community Wildlife Ambassadors.
Such engagement required persistence and trust. People with detailed knowledge of wildlife movements and forest conditions could become valuable conservation partners when given an opportunity to protect the landscape. This approach recognized that lasting protection depends majorly on changing relationships between wildlife and the people living alongside it.
ACD also trained and equipped CWAs with camera traps, GPS devices, cameras and data-recording sheets. These tools strengthened their ability to document sightings, monitor habitats and report threats. Camera trapping provided visual evidence of the giraffes’ presence in February 2026, giving substance to a moment communities had worked towards for years.
ACD credits the continuous, generous support of Save Giraffes Now (SGN) and Susan Myers during 2021–2026 with helping sustain this work. Their support enabled field missions, food rations, fuel, camera traps, education programs and peacebuilding campaigns. These practical contributions allowed teams to reach remote areas and maintain the conversations and monitoring on which community conservation depends.
The return is an encouraging milestone, but it does not establish that the population has recovered or that the threats have disappeared. Camera-trap photographs confirm presence; continued monitoring must establish how many individual giraffes are using the reserve, whether they remain through different seasons and whether calves survive. The Giraffe Conservation Foundation highlights both the limited information available on giraffes in South Sudan and the continuing danger posed by poaching.
The next phase must therefore combine protection, knowledge and community participation. ACD and its partners should maintain regular monitoring, identify individual animals where photographs allow, and document movements, births, deaths and threats. Sensitive location information should be handled carefully so that monitoring supports protection without exposing giraffes to hunters.
Communities have an essential role. Chiefs, elders, women, youth, teachers and local administrators can reinforce commitments against poaching, report threats through trusted channels and protect the trees and woodland that giraffes use for food and shelter. Locally agreed measures to prevent destructive bush burning and habitat clearance should accompany continued education. Community Wildlife Ambassadors need reliable equipment, field support and safe reporting arrangements; their commitment should be sustained through meaningful participation and recognition.
Government must turn community effort into dependable institutional protection. The Ministry of Wildlife Conservation and Tourism, wildlife authorities and relevant state and county administrations should coordinate with communities and ACD, support trained ranger presence, respond to credible threat reports and maintain consistent action against illegal hunting. Habitat protection also matters: giraffe conservation experience elsewhere identifies poaching, habitat loss and fragmentation as major threats.
Responsibility is shared, but the roles are distinct. Communities provide local stewardship and early warning. Government provides public protection, enforcement and coordination. ACD supports mobilization, monitoring and conservation education. Donors and technical partners help sustain the resources and expertise required. None of these contributions can replace the others.
Conservation must also recognize the pressures households face. Livelihood opportunities, peacebuilding and fair community participation can strengthen support for wildlife protection. People should help shape conservation decisions and see credible benefits from protecting their environment.
Is the return a success story or a future hanging in the balance? It is a success worth celebrating and a future that still requires sustained care. ACD’s existence shows what community commitment and long-term support can help achieve. The deeper measure of success is giraffes remaining safely in the landscape, raising calves and becoming a familiar presence for future generations.
The graceful giants have returned. Communities, government and conservation partners must now ensure that this hopeful sight becomes a lasting story of survival.