Wild Nature Institute Hosts Giraffe Bonanza in Tanzania!

On Saturday 21 September, more than 1,400 students and teachers from three secondary schools in the Tarangire region of Tanzania celebrated wildlife and conservation in a ‘Giraffe Bonanza’ event sponsored by Wild Nature Institute. Wearing specially made t-shirts that read “Okoa Twiga” (“Save Giraffes”), students led tours of Wild Nature Institute’s tree nursery, which has distributed more than 17,000 tree seedlings for free to the local community!

Wild Nature Institute's tree nursery grows Acacia tortilis - a favorite giraffe food!

After the nursery tour, students staffed information booths about water filtration, birds, snakes, giraffes, elephants, zebras and Wild Nature Institute’s Celebrating Africa’s Giants storybooks (Juma the Giraffe, Our Elephant Neighbours, and Helping Brother Rhinoceros).

Demonstration of how to filter water so it is safe to drink

Students explain the ecological importance of vultures and oxpeckers

A student describes the wonderfully weird giraffe

After the tours and demonstrations came more fun – the big bonanza! The students were entertained by professional and student dancers, two professional comedians, professional singer Shubert (who created the song and video Okoa Twiga that Wild Nature Institute produced several years ago, click here to watch), and their fellow students participating in creative games and receiving prizes. The entertainment also included useful lessons such as how to escape a charging buffalo. Throughout it all, the students echoed the refrain of Okoa Twiga, cheerfully answering “Twiga” when the emcees called out “Okoa”!

Wild Nature Institute's Veila Makundi speaks to the crowd

Kids enjoying the bonanza

The entertainment included dancing, comedy, and games

Once again, Wild Nature Institute's education power team of Veila Makundi and Glory Mbuya have delivered extraordinary and memorable conservation-focused activities. Their deep, ongoing, long-term relationships with these schools ensure that our programs are successful.

Monica Bond and some secondary school kids, including a girl in a giraffe costume!

Maingo Ole Killel, the community liaison for Lake Manyara National Park, explains the importance of not poaching giraffes, and provided a phone number to report poachers

Of course, none of this would be possible without the financial support of our partners and donors. Thank you so very much for making Wild Nature Institute’s community conservation and education programs possible. The children in Tanzania are benefiting greatly.