Giraffes are some of the most fascinating animals on the African savanna. Yet they're facing threats from climate change and competition from humans for natural resources.
Long ago, Nubian giraffes roamed wild across Uganda. Over time, as people constructed roads and towns, giraffe habitat and populations shrank. By 2016, nearly all of the country’s two hundred and fifty giraffes were grouped in one area within Murchison Falls National Park. Then a rich oil deposit was discovered there and companies made plans to start drilling, which would make the area unlivable for these critically endangered animals.
To preserve their dwindling population, the Ugandan government enlisted the help of a giraffe conservation organization to move a group of giraffes across a river to safer territory. Follow their incredible journey to their new home!
Sandra Markle is the author of numerous award-winning books for children. A former elementary science teacher, she is a nationally-known science education consultant. Markle has received many honors for her series Animal Predators, Animal Scavengers, and Animal Prey. Several titles have been named as National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)/Children’s Book Council (CBC) Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, and Animal Predators was honored as a Top 10 Youth Nonfiction Series by Booklist. Over 500 schools participate in Markle's Book Explorers program which provides free resource-packed emails and classroom activities. Markle lives in Lakewood Ranch, Florida with her husband, photographer Skip Jeffery.