What’s not to love about giraffes? I’d go so far as to say that disliking them means you probably fit the profile of a psychopath. Long legs, long eyelashes, pretty face, a long, elegant neck, and a predisposition to cluster in groups around rhinoceros poo. I could be describing a supermodel really.
Working their best angles. Tyra would be proud
In an exciting turn of events, we have one degree of separation on this week’s blog, Jarrod, because this week, I took along your eldest daughter Matilda! In my unrelenting quest to attain status as Best Auntie Ever, for Xmas last year, I decided “Shopkins and Frozen paraphernalia be damned, I’m buying all my nieces tickets to a close up encounter with the giraffes at Werribee Open Range Zoo.”
I am still waiting on the trophy and/or winners belt decreeing me Best Auntie. Any day now.
Reassurance given that the giraffes would actually be three dimensional, live beings.
You can find all the details about the giraffe encounter on the link here
http://www.zoo.org.au/werribee/wild-encounters/giraffe-feed-encounter
Eye to eye with this guy!
Zoos Victoria have no shortage of options when it comes to close up encounters. You may even want to revisit the tale of our encounter with the meerkats at the Melbourne Zoo in the very early days of the blog!
http://www.jarrodwouldyougothere.com/archives/97
We book ourselves in for a Saturday morning encounter and on the Friday night I predictably receive a text from my sister, reporting that eldest daughter Millie is overwrought, over-excited and there have been tears and anxiety attacks about what she’s going to wear for the encounter. We chuckle in patronising fashion. Kids, right? Oh that we all had such ‘problems!’ Hahahahahahaha.
Naturally I don’t mention my own sheer panic on the ensemble front, or the gigantic pile of clothes I’ve amassed on my bed because I too have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IN MY WARDROBE that’s suitable for meeting giraffes.
Saturday morning and we’re at the zoo gates bright and early. We’re issued with our lanyards. God but I love an activity that involves a lanyard. Step aside, plebs. Can’t you see I’m sporting some laminated card on a piece of ribbon?
Ex-cuse Me! I have somewhere ex-clus-ive to be!
We’re directed to the safari station where our mini bus will depart and wait impatiently for the rest of the group to arrive. Sadly at this point the lanyards are taken from us. Hmph. That was some short lived perceived superiority.
In the right place!
Last precious seconds wearing lanyards…
Onto the bus and we weave along the unsealed road through the zoo to get to the giraffe feeding area. At this point our driver warns us that this morning, unfortunately there’s a cluster of rhinos between the giraffes and the feeding spot, and the rangers are doing their best to lure the rhinos away. The giraffes won’t approach if the rhinos are hanging around (mortal enemies and all) and as such, there’s no guarantee that they’ll come over. Uh oh.
This could be the most anticlimactic Xmas present ever.
Fortunately the rhinos do amble off and, happy that the coast is clear, the giraffes come loping over.
Meet you at the fenceline guys!
It’s such a damn classy gait. I’d love to be able to lope about but I’m short, with short legs so I’m realistic: the best I can hope for is a scuttle. If I try a lope I look like I have some sort of neurological disorder.
Safety rules! We have to make sure we don’t get too close to the fence and we’re to feed the giraffes by standing at a given distance and reaching our arms out. A giraffe’s head weighs around 10kg and they bring them down rapidly for any proffered treats. A 10kg headbutt from a great height is quite a blow. (The knockout would garner you some serious youtube traction… but a permanent brain injury is a high price to pay for a couple of thousand views)
Rangers showing how it’s done.
We start with feeding them branches, and honestly, it’s completely captivating. Watching them bow down to be just metres from your face. Then a strange, gentle tug of war to keep hold of the branch as they pull on the leaves.
My face, when the waiter starts bringing other people’s food to the table.
Miss Millie in her element
They are just enchanting. The girls are completely enthralled.
And as a species, they’re also surprisingly obliging on the photo front–
Oh hai! Didn’t see you there with your camera!
Not my best angle but pap away…
Poor little niece Gracie loses one tug of war and has the branch yanked clean out of her hands. It’s not the first time she’s lost out to an animal, she once had an entire potato cake snatched from her grasp by a seagull. It’s possible she needs to work on her grip strength.
Going… going…..
Gone.
I think you’ll agree, said giraffe looks pretty damn smug about it…
Nom nom nom.
Next up we are handed buckets of sweet potato and apple slices and the close up encounter gets really, really close. It’s absolutely unforgettable.
My, what a long tongue you have!
Sealed with a kiss
These beautiful, graceful animals coming right down to literally curl their tongues around the fruit and eat it right out of your hand.
Apple slices. Put it right on my tongue. Yeah, that’s right. On the tongue. Like a communion wafer
Not my fingers! You’re vego, remember?
One, two, three, four, five digits. We’re still friends.
And these giraffes are hungry! I’d estimate we’re there for a solid half hour feeding them before they start to lose interest, decide they’ve had their fill and amble off elegantly across the plains.
I can’t recommend the experience highly enough, Jarrod and I hope it’s something that the girls will remember for years to come. I’ll be reminding them incessantly about it, just to be sure. But as always I’m going to throw it over to you, the Tall Order Encounter with the giraffes – Jarrod, Would you go there?
Last piece of sweet potato!
I love a giraffe. I once had my hair parted via giraffe tongue.
“Best Auntie Ever” – the title is yours, Meg.
The level of thought that goes into ensuring the presents you buy for all of your nephews and nieces is unmatched.
They invariably receive unique ‘experiences’ that will be lifelong talking points for them.
It was so good to see you join them on this occasion and observe first-hand, the joy you brought to their lives.
As this outstanding blog evidences, their experience was only surpassed by the joy it gave you.
One point that struck me though in reading of this encounter, was it a case of ‘the pot calling the kettle black’? – the giraffes only took half an hour for their luncheon date with us … how long are yours again !!!
xx