Giraffes bring peace to Kenyan communities once at odds

It is the first stage of a delicate operation by the Kenya Wildlife Service to move a group of the endangered animals to a conservancy around 140 kilometres (90 miles) to the east.

The subdued giraffe is kept at the farm in Sergoit along with seven others for an acclimatisation period of about 10 days, before being transported to their new home.

The Rothschild's giraffes, a distinct subspecies, are being resettled in the Ruko Conservancy in Baringo County as part of a long-running initiative to ease communal tensions there.

While the East African nation is renowned for its spectacular wildlife, its northern counties such as Baringo are more often in the news for banditry and ethnic clashes.

The rival Pokot and Ilchamus communities in Baringo had been at odds for decades, their feuds sometimes escalating into armed clashes.

In the mid-2000s, Pokot and Ilchamus elders took matters into their own hands, launching an initiative to resettle the Rothschild's, or Nubian, giraffes into the Ruko conservancy around 280 kilometres north of the capital Nairobi.

The goal was twofold: reintroduce an endangered species to a region it had previously deserted, and restore peace to the two communities.

The elders hoped the world's tallest mammals would attract tourists and income, quelling tensions in the neglected region by providing employment in an area where many young people -- like elsewhere in Kenya -- struggle to find jobs.

And, said 34-year-old reserve manager Rebby Sebei, it seems to have worked.

"Back 20 years before, Pokot and Ilchamus had a conflict that erupted because of livestock theft and resulted in loss of life, loss of livestock and pushing people to move away from their homeland," she said .

"This place became deserted, where we are now today was a battleground for the bandits."

But now, she said, the gentle creatures are helping to "ensure that there is peace between the two communities".