Our Gentile Giants

Save our gentle giants by going on vacation to Giraffe Manor an elegant mansion where you can dine with the elegant giant gentle soon to be extinct beautiful giraffes.  During meals it is encouraged to give a treat to those giant necks that cower over you and lean into the open windows for a snack too. Book a room at this extraordinary hotel outside Nairobi, Kenya. Visiting Giraffe Manor should be on everyone’s bucket list because it is a civilized way to enjoy the beauty of the African animals in a safe elegant way. The English Mansion was built in the 1930’s in the style of a Scottish Hunting Lodge that is now owned by 4^th generation Kenyans. Giraffes love the interaction with humans and they each have very different personalities. There are 12 giraffes living on the estate.

Enjoying a slice of life in the company of giraffes is a way to help these beasts live since they are experiencing a silent extinction that no one seems to pay attention to. The population is down 40% in just the past 2 years. Giraffes were only classified as a possible endangered species only this past year. The species is down 60% from its original numbers. If the current trend continues by 2030 Giraffes will be extinct. Mikey Carr-Hartley is the Director of Giraffe Manor and points out how the abuse and extinction of elephants is highly publicized but not too much is known about the plight of giraffes. There are 500,000 elephants but only 90,000 giraffes alive today.

Giraffe Manor was created in an effort to save these animals. Back in the 70’s a former American super model had the idea to have a few giraffes live on the land with her. Part of the hotel’s land is dedicated to the giraffe center that is dedicated to education and conservation of the species. A percentage of every room fee at the manor goes to the center. One of the biggest issues facing giraffes is the loss of land to urban development. As populations grow and cities emerge on what used to be wild untamed land the giraffe’s habitat is lost. Nairobi National Park is surrounded by streets and skyscrapers.

A giraffe’s kick can break a lion’s back and is a key defense for the safety of their lives against natural predators. Humans are a far more lethal predator. From trophy hunters, to poachers the animals are dying faster than they can reproduce. Giraffes are being hunted for their meat and bones. Traditional beliefs is that giraffe bones and bone marrow can heal Aids. Some will kill the animal just for their tails. According to Arthur Muneza the East Africa Coordinator of the Giraffe Conservation Fund, humans are the greatest threat to giraffes. The foundation had gotten more dramatic in its  save the animals efforts by tracking down the poachers. They are transporting giraffes from danger zones across the Nile River from the oil drilling polluted lands in Uganda to safe refuges in Nairobi.

The new dangerous life of the giraffe needs more public relations coverage. People need to do more to save these animals. Silence on the subject is dangerous too.