Anyone for breakfast with giraffe? It’s a daily occurrence at Giraffe Manor outside Nairobi in Kenya. There you are in your bedroom and next thing a giraffe’s face is at your window. At breakfast they reach in for some pellets from the breakfast table. I remember opening the front door of Giraffe Manor but couldn’t get out as I was blocked by a forest of legs; no body, no head – they were far above the door frame. I didn’t like to go under!
If you ever see a giraffe on its own in the wild – look around there will be others close by. They are rarely out of eye shot of other giraffes, even though they don’t form lasting bonds and don’t roam with the same individuals for very long.
If you study a herd of giraffe over several days, you’ll find different individuals making up the group; during research, a female giraffe seen on 800 consecutive days was only twice found with a group whose composition remained the same over 24 hours. Reference: Richard Estes Behaviour Guide to African Mammals. Mothers with small calves are most likely to associate and there is a tendency for calves to cluster together in a creche, keeping the mothers in the same vicinity.
Have you been to Giraffe Manor? Tell me your experience.