Saturday, April 7, 2012

Giraffe


If you are on the second story of a building and if you find a giraffe peeping through the window, don’t be alarmed as that is the natural height of a Giraffe.

Surprisingly for the long neck, it has only seven vertebrae, the same as what a human neck has, but each vertebra is over ten inches long.


 Sophie la Giraffe, a teething toy created in 1961, is making a come back and is being sold in the American stores at $25 each. Innovative  advertising tactics has made this an international hit and is being stocked in high end baby boutiques around the world like Australia and Japan.

It maybe debatable, but the sad fact is that in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe it is still legal to kill these gentle long legged friends. Some pay as high as 10,000 pounds for a kill after which they pose with the kill. 

After reading an article (on the net) I just asked myself “Why did they not shoot them with a camera instead of a gun?” For those who want to read the article and see the pictures.

And more pics in the Daily mail.

14 comments:

anthony stemke said...

Enjoyed this post. Am appalled at the senseless killing of these animals.

Duncan D. Horne - the Kuantan blogger said...

I read a great article in Nat Geo mag a couple of years back about Charles Darwin and evolution, genetics and so on. WE have all the same genes as every animal, it's just a matter of which specific genes are 'turned on' to produce the different characteristics, like long necks in giraffes. All very interesting!

This is me, Duncan D. Horne, visiting you from the A-Z challenge, wishing you all the best throughout April and beyond.

Duncan In Kuantan

Donna B. McNicol said...

Amazing photos in your A to Z challenge, thanks for sharing. Adding you to my reading list...and thanks for visiting my blog.

Anne Mackle said...

I really didn't know they still hunted Giraffes, how sad. My granddaughter has a Sophie,I'm surprised that with all the modern all singing all dancing tioys that it made a comeback.

jabblog said...

I didn't know giraffes were hunted. Why? Why kill such a beautiful creature? Does it really make the hunters feel like big men?

Marina@Picnic at Marina said...

Wow, it's impressive! I don't understand this so called sport hunting... Sad. Hunting for food with respect is one thing, but for just a fact to kill is brutal.

Bev said...

I've seen Sophie in our stores here in Canada too. I didn't know the story behind her until now. Thanks.

I really enjoyed your post today.

Stopping in via the A-Z blogging challenge.

Bev @ Blue Velvet Vincent

Ruth said...

10" long vertebrae- that's long

Unknown said...

Sad facts about killing animals for sport. I can see to eat, but this is different.

Thanks for the post! Good luck with the challenge!

Dianna Fielding
sociologyfornerds.com

Pa Ul said...

the last time I saw this was when I was a kid
do check out my G at GAC a-z

Rebecca Bradley said...

I love giraffes. Last year my son and I had the opportunity to feed one. Did you know they have really blue tongues? I didn't. I have a photograph of it reaching for its food with its tongue fully out. Beautiful!

A said...

They are so beautiful. And delicate. And... graceful.

Misha Gerrick said...

I love giraffes. They're gorgeous in the wild. Still, hunting does have its purposes. I'd know. I'm from South Africa. :-)

Harisankar said...

And could you kindly elaborate on why this killing is justified?