“Moving a giraffe is a delicate process. We have to survey the habitat and make sure we anchor the barge in a manner that makes it easy for the giraffes to enter without causing them unnecessary stress.”

— Jackson Komen, Kenya Wildlife Service, in the Sunday Observer.

A long time ago, in a continent called Africa, giraffes had very short necks, about an inch shorter than any normal human’s neck. The giraffes thought this was perfectly normal, and so it was at the time.

One hot summer’s day, though, the giraffe families gathered for a picnic on a nearby island surrounded by shallow, calm waters. The little giraffes played games while the mothers and fathers stood about and talked.

One little giraffe had a habit of getting into trouble, though. He climbed a tree, even though his parents told him to never climb trees. He knew the greenest shoots were near the top of the tree, out of reach from the middle branches,. He strained and strained and strained to reach the tallest branches, but it was all in vain. He would fall to the ground, awkwardly and painfully, and try and try again. He tried this for such a long time that his neck stretched and began to grow. It grew so long that, after a while, he didn’t try to climb the tree anymore. He stood on the ground and tried to see if he could reach the higher branches using only his neck.

The other little giraffes laughed at him, but over time they grew envious and decided to emulate him. And that is why all giraffes have long necks today.

Moving a giraffe is a tall order.

The rains have been uncommonly heavy this year across wide swathes of the lake district in East Africa’s Rift Valley, in some cases endangering entire communities that live along the lake shores and threatening the wildlife that co-exists with nearby agricultural communities.

The rise in rainfall had been gradual, over a period of years, but in 2019 there was a sharp increase that resulted in serious flooding. It’s a law of nature, driven by changes in wind patterns and exacerbated by more dramatic and unpredictable monsoon rains. Drought in one region invariably means heavy flooding in other regions. Satellite imagery from NASA’s Earth Observatory shows that between 2013 and 2020, just seven years, sediment deposits between Lake Baringo and Lake Bogoria in Kenya have shrunk from 20km (12 miles) to 13 km (8 miles). This is important because Lake Baringo is a freshwater habitat that is home to fish, Nile crocodiles and hippos. Lake Bogoria on the other hand is an alkaline lake and home to 100,000 flamingoes that depend on the blue-green algae that thrives in alkaline waters. Alkaline water and fresh water do not mix well.

The changes have affected area wildlife, even giraffes. Lake Baringo, the freshwater lake, is home to a large island, Longcharo, which over time has developed its own fragile, complex ecosystem. As water levels rise, the available area for gazelles, antelopes, bush pigs and other herbivores to forage has dwindled, to the point now where local wildlife authorities have to consider relocation. This past fall, as reported by correspondent Peter Muiruri in the Sunday Observer, an operation involved moving ostriches, impalas and warthogs across the lake to a conservancy on what is only half-joking referred to as “the mainland.”

Earlier this month, a delicate operation involved moving two of the island’s remaining giraffes to safety, using a specially rigged barge that had to take into consideration the giraffes’ exceedingly long necks which, while powerful, are also prone to injury.

“It took a whole day just to move one giraffe, with the barge taking at least two hours to get to the mainland,” Jackson Komen, a game warden for the Kenya Wildlife Service’s Baringo District, told the Sunday Observer in a story published this past weekend. “The remaining (giraffes), including some pregnant female, will be moved a little later.”

Climate change, coupled with increasing human activity around water catchment areas in a region of the world already noted for its wild swings between drought and flooding, is a major reason for rising water levels. Interestingly, lakes’ capacity to hold water is reduced even as water levels rise. Silt leaks into lakes and changes the chemistry of the lake water, and the animals — and people — who rely on the lakes to survive.

Why so much effort? What is a giraffe worth, anyway?

After God created the earth, when all the animals lived together peacefully, a huge bushfire swept through the land, started by a bolt of lightning. The dry grass burst into flames and strong winds quickly spread a wall of flames from horizon to horizon. Unable to do anything to put the fire out, the animals fled in panic before the deadly flames.

A pair of oxpeckers had made their nest in a hole in a giant tree trunk. The tree lay in the path of the advancing flames.

The oxpeckers pleaded with the passing animals to help them rescue their little chicks, but the animals took no notice as they ran from the deadly flames.

Just when the desperate oxpeckers were about to give up hope, a kind giraffe came along and seeing the birds so distressed asked what was wrong. ‘Oh Giraffe!’ the oxpeckers wailed, "Our nest will soon be burned and our chicks with it. Please carry it away from the fire for us!’

Giraffe took pity on the oxpeckers in their dreadful plight and rushed to the tree through the dense smoke and the flying sparks. Because of his long legs and neck, Giraffe was able to reach to the top of the tree and pluck the nest and the young fledglings from the hole and carry them to safety.

‘Oh, thank you, thank you, kind Giraffe!’ the much relieved oxpeckers said. ‘How can we ever repay you for your kindness?’

‘I am always troubled by ticks,’ Giraffe replied. ‘If you like you can ride on my back and pick the ticks off for me’

‘We will gladly do this service for you forever and ever,’ the grateful oxpeckers replied.

That is why, today, if you go to the African bush, you will nearly always see oxpeckers and giraffes living together.

(Traditional, as told to Nick Greaves in When the Hippo Was Hairy and Other Tales from Africa.)