When we lived in Nairobi the Giraffe Centre on the edge of the city’s national park was a favourite place to visit. It was set up in 1979 both as an educational resource for city school children (50,000 visits a year) and as a conservation project to protect Kenya’s endangered race of Rothschild giraffes. The centre runs a breeding programme and over the years some 40 young giraffes have been settled in safe game reserves across the country. Now in 2020 the initiative can proudly claim to have helped restore Kenya’s wild population from 130 to a little over 700, and that has to be good news.
As you can see, the centre provides for head to head contact. The resident giraffes are much addicted to the ‘giraffe nuts’ which visitors hand out to them, though I have to say, from the donor perspective, a slurp from a long giraffe tongue is not the best of experiences.
Tish Farrell 
Would be fun to visit.
Definitely!
how wonderful
They are wonderful aren’t they – giraffes 🙂
Good to read some positive news about our wildlife!
It is indeed, Dries. I’m sure there must be other such good stories too. I must look.
That’s sadly the way news seem to work, Tish. Bad news pops up from every direction but you have to go mining for good news.
Majestic animals with a sweet approach to the eye. Love their eyes but never tried their tongues!
It’s not recommended 😉
😀 I would never try…
I want to feed a giraffe now 😀
Ha! You’re up for the big sloppy lick, Cee. Good girl! 🙂
I love these stories of successful rehabilitation and conservation. Hooray for giraffes!
Alison
It is cheering, I agree.
giraffe’s are very elegant animals! 🙂
Graceful creatures
I always seem to miss the giraffe-feeding sessions at Auckland Zoo. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing. I can contentedly sit and watch them for ages, and am always happy to read a good news story. Thanks Tish
I will try and find some more good news stories 🙂 🙂
Good news and a couple adorable shots. What’s not to like? Thanks, Tish!
janet
Thanks, Janet.
What a fabulous success. We could all stand to read such good news stories every day.
I too have been slurped by a giraffe tongue. A most unusual and memorable experience.
Hi Sue. Yes, once licked, never forgotten!
So very beautiful, Tish! 🙂 🙂 (P.S the carobs made a guest appearance on last week’s walk 🙂 )
They are amazing creatures. and thanks for the alert, Jo: I will look out for the carobs!
Last week 😊😊
Such beautiful creatures. It’s lovely to know that the work of the Giraffe Centre has been so fruitful.
And not only the giraffes, it does a great job getting school kids engaged with their wildlife and conservation issues. I don’t need to tell you that, unlike visiting tourists, most city children don’t get a chance to see their country’s natural treasures.
So true.
I have always thought giraffes were the gentlest of creatures. Just looking in their big soft eyes. What beautiful faces they have.
They do seem to be very peaceable creatures, though the males go in for some rather balletic looking head banging, which can be deadly.
Such gentle, beautiful animals!
We have giraffes at the Jacksonville Zoo and have the chance to feed them too. I haven’t been since the pandemic so I’m not sure if they are still allowing people to feed them. It was the fun when we took the grandkids a few years ago. Great photos and write up. 🙂
Thanks, Lisa.
fun post – and haha ha not sure i Would like the slurp either.
and this was good news, Tish – to hear that these programs work! 130 to 700+ is very good news.
It IS good news. We can’t have too many giraffes. They’ve a lot of ground to make up.
I have only been licked by a very large horse.I like your photos
Katherine
Thank you, Katherine. I do not have a good history with horses, at least not in the mouth department. When I was a child one decided to take a big bite out of my chest. Fortunately I had lots of layers on so only a small scar.
How awful!Tish I was licked right up my front by a huge horse.But it did not biteme.I love your giraffe photos and also “Negative Space” too,Katherine
Congratulations! I have selected your post to be featured on Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
I’m thrilled, Cee. Thank you. Hope you and Chris and all the family are AOK.
We are back home in Oregon and we all AOK 😀 😀 Thanks Tish.
Well done! Am v. glad to hear you’re back home.
Sounds like the start of an amazing book ‘a slurp from a long giraffe tongue’!
Now there’s thought…