On a chilly morning in Uganda’s largest national park, rangers did more than prepare for a conservation mission: they prepared to protect the future of one of Africa’s most iconic animals. With quiet coordination, a few songs, and a great deal of expertise, wildlife officials began moving 12 endangered Nubian giraffes from Murchison Falls National Park to a new home at Ajai Wildlife Reserve.

The rangers sedated the Nubian giraffe on Wednesday during its translocation from Murchison Falls National Park to Ajai Wildlife Reserve near Arua, northwestern Uganda.

Rangers in Uganda’s largest national park are on a mission to translocate 12 endangered Nubian giraffes