
The Rothschild giraffe, also called the Uganda giraffe and Baringo giraffe is found in the wild in limited places in East Africa such as Murchison falls national park and Kidepo valley national park in Uganda, and Nakuru national park in Kenya. It is estimated that there are about 670 of these giraffes left in the wild of Africa and in 2010 the Rothschild Giraffe was placed on the red list as endangered species.
The Rothschild giraffe is one of the most imperiled subspecies remaining hence the reason why the exact numbers of these giraffes in MFNP are approximate due to lack of surveys but are most recently estimated at approximately 240 individuals and stable. This giraffe is the tallest giraffe in the world measuring up to 6 meters in height when fully matured and can weigh up to 2,800 pounds, with the males weighing more than the females by several hundred pounds. There are some features however that make them stand out from other giraffes-they have white socks up to their knees, 5 horns on their head, two of them are in the same place, the third horn in the center of their forehead and the other two behind each ear. They are also different from others in coloring of coat which consists of dark patches and then areas of creamy white through them. Infact, their markings on their coat are as unique as the human finger print.
Another amazing fact about giraffes is that they can go for months without drinking liquid water, and instead they receive their water via the leaves such as from acacia trees, that they can eat and you can always find them nibbling away in top of trees that have savannah. One should not be deceived when they see these creatures move slowly through the savannah, they are very fast and speedy inspite of their great height and huge appearance. The giraffe is one of the fastest species of animal, reaching top speeds of 56km/hr when running over open ground. They have one of the longest and most mobile tongues reaching an average length of 45.6cm. In uganda, they were formerly in MFNP and KNP until their recent introduction in lake Mburo national park where 15 of them were brought in to boost tourism and also reduce on the widely spreading acacia weed.