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Most people have heard about elephants and rhinos being in trouble. But few realize that giraffes are quietly disappearing too. And also the hirola, a graceful antelope found only along the Kenya–Somalia border, is down to fewer than 500 left on Earth.
In this episode, Dr. Abdullahi Ali shares how his journey from a nomadic childhood to a Ph.D. in ecology led him to found the Hirola Conservation Program and the Somali Giraffe Project - two community-led efforts rewriting what coexistence looks like.
Ali’s story is as much about people as it is about wildlife. From restoring grasslands once maintained by elephants before they were poached to helping farmers swap mango trees for lime trees to prevent conflict with giraffes, his work shows that when conservation is rooted in local knowledge, everyone thrives.
Highlights
- How Dr. Ali’s childhood herding goats (and occasionally getting lost doing it!) shaped his lifelong connection to nature.
- How climate change is creating “climate refugees” - not just people, but also animals.
- The power of community-led solutions: from adult literacy classes to wildlife-friendly livelihoods.
What You Can Do
- Partner with the Hirola Conservation Program and the Somali Giraffe Project.
- Share what’s going on with giraffes and hirolas. It might be a surprise to most.
- Look for ways to design coexistence where you live - in your garden, your community, or your workplace.
- Remember that conservation works best when it’s collaborative between species, between people, and across borders.
Resources
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If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, rate, and review it! This helps to boost its visibility.
Hit me up on Instagram and Facebook and let me know what actions you have been taking. Adopting just one habit can be a game-changer because imagine if a billion people also adopted that!
What difference for the world are you going to make today?
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