A Heartfelt Message From Sophie The Giraffe - LUC8K’s Globe Trotting Brand Ambassador
Bonjour to my two-legged human friends reading this, wherever you are in the world right now.
I’m actually in Paris for Fashion Week, but today, something stopped me in my tracks as I was scrolling through the online news whilst admiring the latest collections. I stumbled across something that made the hairs on my long neck stand on end: My friend Omo, the last white giraffe left on the planet…is still alive!
Her skin is pale, her spots are faint, but her spirit is strong. She isn’t albino, which was my first thought when I first saw her back in 2016 when we were just little calfs. She was actually born with a rare genetic condition called leucism, which results in a partial loss of pigmentation - but her eyes remain dark, deep and beautiful.
I still can’t quite believe that she has just been spotted in Tanzania’s Tarangire National Park after going missing for many years. Many people, like me, thought she had left this earth like so many other giraffes before her.
There were over 140,000 giraffes just like me in Africa in 1999. Today, according to the wonderful Giraffe Conservation Foundation, there are fewer than 80,000, mostly due to us being hunted by poachers either for our meat, or for ‘fun’ - even though it is illegal to kill giraffes in Tanzania.
I feel moved to share Omo’s story because it should resonate with all of us. It’s about the fragility of life and the lives we all lead on this planet right now. It’s about hope and never giving up, no matter what. It’s also about the good in the world, and shows us that magic still exists, no matter how bad, crazy and screwed up things seem.
The Spirit of Hope Lives On
Omo’s mother and sister were killed by poachers when she was just a young calf, leaving Omo alone to be the only surviving white giraffe in existence. That’s quite a burden for one little giraffe to carry through life all on her own.
I’ve personally seen and experienced first hand the barren landscapes that used to be full of lush trees, vegetation and watering holes, and the images of a lone pale giraffe desperately searching for shelter and food cut me deeper than any thorn.
Yet against all the odds, she survived, and thrived, and is now protected by the park rangers who have made it their mission in life to guard Omo’s life with their own.
She is now fitted with a GPS tracking device and is monitored by drones to help protect her from the evil poachers who have absolutely no respect for the beauty of life.
To Stand Out is To Stand Tall
Omo has always stood out, and her color always made her too visible and therefore vulnerable. Even more so than us ‘regular’ giraffes, and we struggle at the best of times to blend in to our surroundings.
I don’t know how she managed to evade so many predators and hunters, but what I do know is, being different doesn’t make you any less of a giraffe, or human for that matter.
For me, it means that you carry a unique story with you. It means the world is forced to notice, and sometimes, when people notice, they care, they love, and they do everything they can to protect.
When the world first saw Omo, they fell in love with her. She was a myth, a wonderful fairytale that suddenly became real. That’s the kind of magic that still exists in our world—something so rare that it feels impossibly beautiful.
So yes, it’s okay to be different, and if a lone giraffe can stand tall, neck stretching skyward, and still whisper courage in her silence—so can you.
Omo’s story reminds us all that even when the odds are brutal, when loss descends like a shadow, when politics descends into chaos, when bombs are being dropped on hospitals, and when we feel like giving up because our voices aren’t being heard, there is always a flicker of hope. And hope is a powerful tool.
What The LUC8K Are You Waiting For?
My beautiful friend Omo has survived for a reason and it would be truly wonderful if she could inspire us to make a difference somehow.
Remember that no one is too tall to see tomorrow and no one is too rich to buy yesterday. Be humble, and appreciate life the way it is.
The rangers, amazing human beings like the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, and indeed the communities who risk their lives to protect all creatures great and small; they need all the help and support we can give them, and not just financially.
At LUC8K, we are proud to support Nzatu, who work in partnership with the Global Conservation Corps (GCC) and their Future Rangers Program — powered by Vumba technology — which helps educate and empower the next generation of conservation leaders across Africa.
I’m not really a ‘techy’ kind of giraffe, but I know that through innovative, tech-driven education, young students can learn about local wildlife, environmental stewardship, and sustainable development, building a lifelong connection to their natural world.
This initiative creates real opportunities for education, employment, and community-led conservation, ensuring a better future for both people and planet. It’s a start, and I really hope more luxury lifestyle brands follow suit and take inspiration from Omo. Time will tell.
Together, we can help to shape a generation of humans to understand that protecting the world’s beauty — in nature, and in craft — begins with knowledge, empathy, and action.
https://globalconservationcorps.org/
Let’s not wait any longer to come together to fight for stronger protection, tougher laws, and more accessible technology so we can monitor and protect not just Omo, but all her critically endangered animal friends too. From the unbelievable wonder of the hummingbird’s flight, the vast intelligence of dolphins and whales, and even my old friends the cheeky monkeys, we must protect every species on the planet because their miracle is our shared responsibility.
Let’s teach the next generation that real beauty comes in every color, and rarity is not a curse but a blessing.
Because it really doesn’t matter what people think. It’s who you are matters. Your individuality matters. Your personal story matters. How you treat the world around you and other people, and animals, matters.
Let’s keep the true ongoing story and legacy of Omo alive, and let it be the spark that ignites a million movements. The last white giraffe on earth is a timely reminder to us all that in this crazy, wild, messed up, brutal, unforgiving yet beautiful world, magic still lives and breathes. And the things that makes us different are the things that bring us closer together.
With Love, hope, and happiness,
Sophie x
PS - a HUGE thank you to my LUC8K team for letting me share this story instead of my planned Paris Fashion Week Update. Like me, they completely understand that sometimes, there are more important things in life than fashion :)
Written by Richard Sorensen and the LUC8K team.