The giraffe lives in the African savannah. The open woodlands and grasslands of East Africa, particularly in Uganda, Sudan and Kenya, are home to the Rothschild Giraffe. There are nine subspecies of giraffe, and all have a characteristic walk, moving the legs on the same side of the body simultaneously. The subspecies are distinguished from each other by their coat patterns and geographical locations.

Giraffes are nearly 2 metres in height when born and males can reach a height of more than 5 metres when fully grown. Excellent eyesight and a good sense of hearing are features of all giraffe subspecies. An animal can see a human that is standing 2km away. When it is alarmed it may snort or grunt and it can run at a speed of 60km/h if it is being pursued. In order to defend itself, the giraffe will kick vigorously with its front legs.

Acacia leaves form the bulk of the giraffe’s diet, but other trees are also browsed. A male, or bull, can eat up to 80kg of leaves each day, along with bark and fruit.

Poaching for the giraffe’s pelt, meat and tail has significantly reduced the wild population. The hair that grows at the end of the tail is used for threading beads and making bracelets.

OUR GIRAFFE

Kinta
Kinta was born in May 1997. He is sneaky when it comes to stealing food from the other giraffes. He takes a while to get used to people.

Kona
Kona was born in January 2008. Nicknamed ‘Bali Boy' as he looks like he has a tan. He loves attention from the keepers, but gets pushed around by the bigger boys.

Thembi
Thembi was born in December 2007. He is the ‘greedy guts' of the group. He eats everything in sight, including sunglasses, rope, etc if the keepers are not careful! He is pretty much the ‘naughty child'.

Amani
Amani was born in December 2007. He is much shyer than his half-brother Thembi. He takes a while to adapt to change.

Harold
Harold was born in September 2008. A very cute and shy giraffe, he loves to lick the bus windows. He's great mates with Ajali.

Ajali
Ajali was born on 29 May 2010. He is best mates with Harold and likes to accompany him everywhere.
He has come out of his shell and now really enjoys people and participating in the 'Tall Order' Wild Encounter. He's also a dare devil as he checks out the rhinos at close range.

DID YOU KNOW?

• The giraffe is the tallest of all mammals, males reaching a height of about 5.5m and females about 5m
• To circulate blood all through this tall body, the giraffe has the biggest heart of any animal, weighing about 12 kg!
• A giraffe’s tongue can reach up to 45cm long and 8cm wide! The tongue's dark colour prevents blistering in the sun
• Always alert for danger, giraffes sleep for approximately two hours a day, and catch quick 5–6 minute naps for the rest of the time

• Close to 2m long, the giraffe's neck has seven vertebrae like other mammals, just longer. The long neck means great changes in blood pressure as a giraffe lowers or raises its head, so special blood vessels and valves compensate. Without this adaptation, giraffes would faint when blood pressure increased