West African giraffes look slightly different from the giraffes you might see in wildlife documentaries from East Africa. Their patches are more irregular and a lighter cream colour, and they have a distinctive reddish tint. They are tall, graceful and surprisingly quiet as they move through the trees, stretching their long necks to reach leaves that no other animal can reach.
What makes the Kouré giraffes especially wonderful is that local people have been central to their recovery. The farming communities around Kouré agreed to protect the giraffes' habitat, and the giraffes responded by becoming comfortable living alongside people. Visitors can ride on horseback or in a vehicle to get close, and the giraffes often wander through villages calmly.
The population has grown steadily from just 49 individuals in 1996 to several hundred today. Scientists tag and monitor the giraffes individually and keep records of births and movements. It is one of Africa's great wildlife recovery stories, and the people of Kouré are rightly proud of the role they played in bringing it about.