Here's what's happening -- the poor Rothschild's giraffes got trapped on an island in Lake Baringo due to rising water levels flooding it ... which separated them from the resources they need to survive.

In order to save them, the Kenya Wildlife Service, a U.S. nonprofit called Save Giraffes Now and an African conservation org called the Northern Rangelands Trust have combined their efforts in an unusual rescue mission ... using a barge built for a giraffe to float them back to the mainland one at a time.

So far, 2 of the 8 giraffes have successfully made the 4-mile trek from the island ... and have been relocated to a special sanctuary where they can survive and thrive.

One of them was a female named Asiwa that was stranded on a more remote part of the island, making her rescue a top priority. However, the president of Save Giraffes Now says there's major urgency to saving the rest as well ... as they are an endangered species in Africa, and only about 800 left in Kenya.

As for the barge, get this ... it was engineered by local community members, who have also learned how to train the giraffes to enter the barge voluntarily.

Here's hoping everything goes well with the other 6.