Giraffes to cross River Nile

In the coming few weeks, 20 giraffes will cross the River Nile from the northern bank to the southern park within Murchison Falls National Park, according to Jossy Muhangi of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).

Thursday, a capture team from UWA supported by Uganda Wildlife Education Center captured the first giraffe near Pakuba Air strip within the park.

The captured giraffe is being kept in a boma (enclosure) awaiting 19 other giraffes for translocation. The giraffes will cross the Nile on a ferry in shifts and UWA expects to accomplish the operation by the end of the month, according to Muhangi.

"We have a strong team on the ground and they have set up a boma (enclosure) as a holding ground near Tangi gate for the giraffes," said Muhangi.   

The Giraffe Conservation Foundation is supporting UWA to expand the home range of the giraffes. About 1,200 giraffes stay on the northern banks of the Nile in Murchison Falls National Park.

Murchison Falls National Park lies in the districts of Buliisa, Masindi and Kiryandongo in the south and the northern part is sitting in Nwoya district. It covers 3840 square Kilometers and it has Murchison Falls. 

The giraffes keep on one side of River Nile because they can't swim but they can wade through swallow water with their long necks out of water, according to a web publication known as intelligent answers. The giraffes have always kept on the northern part of Murchison because the Nile is deep and wide as it enters Lake Albert. 

The top wildlife body in the country translocated 18 giraffes a few years ago and three of them have been seen with calves bringing the total number to 21. "Unconfirmed reports indicate that there are three babies and if this is true, then we have 21 giraffes in the southern part of the park," said Muhangi.