That’s right, I got caught up in April fever. No, not the month of April, although it is a pretty cool month, I mean April the giraffe. For those of you not aware, April is a giraffe at Animal Adventure Park in upstate NY. Two years ago April took the work by storm as thousands waited and watched for her to give birth to a calf on live stream. The handsome Tajiri who now has barn and live cam of his own as well as a possible future girlfriend. As an animal lover I ,of course, was sucked in . It was also an inspiration for me to finally take my bucket list trip to Africa and finally go on safari ( see photo) When I heard that April was pregnant again, I swore I would’t get sucked in again. No checking in several times through out the day, no signing up for the text alert and certainly no waking up in the middle of the night to check on her. That was plan. But of course I didn’t follow the plan. I am glad I watched. April gave birth to a beautiful calf about 12:45 EDT today. I was glued to it until little wobbly legs was up and drinking. Like a champ, he or she was up and having it’s first meal within the hour. So in honor of April, instead of making this first post about travel I am going to talk a little bit about giraffes today. Congratulations to April and Animal Adventure Park !!!!!
There are four species of giraffes and several subspecies. The four species are :Reticulated, Masai, Southern, and Northern .
Giraffes are listed as a vulnerable species by the IUCN Red List of threatened species.
The giraffe population is estimated to have dropped 40% since the 1980s to less than 100,000 left in the wild. For more detailed numbers you can The visit Giraffe Conservation Foundation’s website.
Giraffe are already extinct in at least seven countries in Africa.
Just like human fingerprints, no two giraffe have the same coat pattern.
Giraffe feet are the size of a dinner place with a diameter of 30 cm.
Giraffe tongues are bluish-purple and between 45-50 cm long.
Both male and female giraffe have ‘horns’ already at birth. These ossicones lie flat and are not attached to the skull to avoid injury at birth. They only fuse with the skull later in life.
The giraffe is the tallest mammal in the world. Even newborn giraffe are taller than most humans.
Female giraffe give birth standing up. Their young fall about 2m to the ground and can stand up within an hour of birth.
About 50% of all giraffe calves do not survive their first year. Thankfully new baby wobbly legs will not have to worry about predators and will be well looked after.
A giraffe’s neck is too short to reach the ground. As a result, it has to awkwardly spread its front legs or kneel to reach the ground for a drink of water.
Giraffe only need to drink once every few days. Most of their water comes from the plants they eat.
To protect the giraffe’s brain from sudden changes in blood pressure when it lowers its head to drink, it has valves to stop the back-flow of blood and elastic-walled vessels that dilate and constrict to manage flow. NASA has done research on the blood vessels in giraffe legs to get inspiration for human space suits.
A giraffe heart weighs approximately 11 kilograms and is the biggest of any land mammal. It is used to pump 60 litres of blood around its body every minute at a blood pressure twice that of an average human.
World Giraffe Day is June 21st. Mark it on your calendar!!!
While travel to see giraffes and other amazing animals in the wild warrants its own post I would be remiss if I did not mention the amazing Giraffe Manor in Kenya. Giraffe Manor is a boutique hotel on 12 acres of private land inside a larger forest in a Nairobi suburb. There is a herd of Rothchild Giraffes that occasionally poke their long necks into the windows looking for treats. I haven’t been yet but it is on my list.
Learn more about Giraffe conservation, donate or symbolically adopt a giraffe check out the following websites:
Giraffe Conservation Foundation
YouTube April the Giraffe live cam
What should I post about next? Travel tips? Packing Lists? Reading Lists?
UPDATE: It’s a boy!!