The iconic giraffe has just returned to Bicuar National Park in Angola with twelve animals sourced from two populations in Namibia. This follows two successful previous translocations to Angola’s Iona National Park.
The reintroduction of giraffe is executed under the National Giraffe Conservation Action Plan for Angola (2026–2030) endorsed by the Angolan government.
The Bicuar reintroduction is the result of months of preparation by the Namibia-based Giraffe Conservation Foundation in close collaboration with Angola’s Instituto Nacional da Biodiversidade e Áreas de Conservação (INBAC).
Giraffe Conservation Foundation founder and director, Dr Julian Fennessy said “Reintroducing Angolan giraffe is about far more than restoring a species, it is about repairing functional ecosystems. With only 140,000 giraffe remaining in all of Africa and an estimated 15,600 Angolan giraffe this reintroduction comes at a pivotal moment.”
“Giraffe act as landscape architects and ecosystem engineers. Their browsing habits maintain vegetation structures that supports wide biodiversity, while their return brings a message of environmental recovery and resilience to Angola,” he continued.
Bicuar was chosen as an ideal location after concluding a rigorous habitat and translocation assessment conducted jointly by the giraffe foundation and the Angolan government.
Once widespread across southern Angola, native Angolan giraffe populations disappeared from much of their historic range following decades of civil conflict, habitat degradation, and poaching.
As part of the process to translocate the 12 giraffe from Namibia to Angola, each animal was fitted with a solar-powered GPS satellite tracking device to allow field teams to remotely monitor their movement patterns, home ranges and habitat utilisation.
Explaining the financial demands of an ongoing translocation programme, the giraffe foundation’s co-founder and executive director, Stephanie Fennesy said “With continued financial support, we can ensure that a thriving, self-sustaining population of Angolan giraffe once again roams the savannah of Bicuar National Park for generations to come. In the end, saving giraffe is pretty simple: More giraffe in more habitat, that’s how we at the Giraffe Conservation Foundation are making a difference!”
