#10Guardians; meet Giraffe Guardian Charles Lekatai
GIRAFFE GUARDIAN Charles Lekatai.
Charles Lekatai’s grandfather was the best storyteller in the village. He would regularly deliver tales of bravery and endeavor, history and fantasy, to a captive audience of his grandchildren and their friends. But there was one story in particular that caught the imagination of a young Charles. It featured a strange, long-necked spotted animal that used to roam the rangelands around the village, feeding on trees and shrubs. The Baringo Giraffe, it was called. But years of inter-tribal conflict and hunting for their skin, tails and meat had wiped them out, Charles was told. He would probably never see one.
“That was the saddest story from my grandpa,” he says, “the way he described the animal made me wish I had seen it.”
THREATENED Giraffe numbers have declined by almost 30% in just over three decades*
Charles Lekatai is now a ranger commander at Ruko Community Conservancy. One of the key priorities for his team? Monitoring and protecting the eight Baringo giraffes that have called it home since 2012.
The return of Ruko’s Rothschild giraffe, also known as the ‘Baringo’ giraffe after the lake around which they were once abundant, epitomizes the extraordinary efforts by the Il Chamus and Pokot communities to use conservation as a force for peace and economic growth.
Established to put an end to years of conflict, Ruko Community Conservancy was the first NRT member in Baringo County. Such was their success in promoting peace, good governance, and sustainable natural resources management, that in 2012 they partnered with NRT, the Kenya Wildlife Service, USAID, The Nature Conservancy and many others to reintroduce eight Baringo giraffes to the area around 50 years after they disappeared.
The giraffes were hailed as a symbol of peace, and brought in valuable revenue for the communities. However, over recent years, the group have been stranded on an island after rising water levels in Lake Baringo cut off the mainland from their peninsula home. As their habitat continues to shrink (the rising water levels appear to be a natural phenomenon no one could have predicted), Ruko are in the process of building a sanctuary on the mainland into which they can move the island population, and hopefully receive giraffe translocated from other areas too.
In the meantime, Charles and his team are the giraffe guardians; fetching supplementary food and minerals (the island browse is insufficient), spraying them to protect against parasites, and providing regular updates to veterinary and conservation teams.
“I never thought I would see these animals, let alone care for them!” says Charles.
CHARLES “I never thought I would see these animals, let alone care for them!”
Years before he became a ranger, Charles’ livestock were stolen in a tit-for-tat raid – commonplace in the area at that time. He was left with no other source of income for his family. Promoting peace and earning an income were the driving factors behind his application to become a ranger. Now he is able to support his family and pay for his children’s education. But the job comes with challenges, both physical (the terrain is tough) and emotional. There have been some devastating moments in his time as a giraffe guardian.
In 2013, two male giraffes in the group died of natural causes, and in 2018 Charles arrived at his station to find a calf – whose birth had been the cause of huge celebration – had died.
Due to the supplementary feeding, the giraffes have become very accustomed to Charles and his team, who have won their trust. “I feel happy rubbing their fur every morning, this allows me to examine whether they are healthy or not. Its something that I have learnt over years and proves to be right,” says Charles.
RUKO Driving Rothschild giraffe conservation in Baringo County
During his free time, Charles raises awareness on giraffe conservation amongst the communities and school-going children – facilitating community meetings and school trips to the island.
“When my retirement time comes, I will be happy if my son or relative choose to take over my shoes because I don’t want these giraffes to disappear again like they did for my grandfather,” he says.