The Living Desert celebrates World Giraffe Day
Today is the shortest day of the year, but it’s also the day The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens is celebrating one of the tallest animals on the planet. Usually World Giraffe Day is celebrated on the longest day of the year in June, but to take advantage of the cooler weather, The Living Desert decided to host their celebration in December on the shortest day of the year.
Guests got a once in a lifetime experience to step inside the giraffe habitat and enjoy educational activities and hands-on displays. While the event is a fun way to celebrate the species, the message behind it is much more serious.
Thursday The Living Desert became one of ten AZA Accredited zoos and aquariums to become part of the International Union for Conservation of Nature , which classified the giraffe as a vulnerable species earlier this month. There are only 97,000 giraffes left in the wild.
“This is recognizing that the giraffe populations have plummeted by 40% over the last 40 years,” said director of conservation with The Living Desert, Dr. James Danoff-Burg.
Two subspecies of giraffe were listed as critically endangered and face a silent extinction, but The Living Desert is looking to change that. One of the groups Danoff-Burg and others from The Living Desert put boots on the ground with is the Black Mambas , an unarmed all woman anti-poaching unit in South Africa.
“In areas where they are active, they have reduced snaring–animals getting caught in snares–by almost 80%,” said Danoff-Burg. Snares are used for illegal hunting. When larger animals get caught in them and try to walk, they can get stuck and eventually die of dehydration or at the hand of a hunter.
The Living Desert also supports the Wild Nature Institute’s educational initiatives in Tanzania, like the Twiga song, which can be heard on all the radio stations promoting the protection of the species.
Living Desert announces death of one of oldest giraffe’s in human care
Recently The Living Desert announced the death of one of the oldest giraffes in human care, Hesabu. He was almost 18-years-old. Senior manager of brand marketing and public relations with The Living Desert, Erin Scott, says Hesabu’s greatest contribution was serving as an ambassador to his species.
“Seeing this beautiful habitat, feeding a giraffe, interacting with an animal, seeing all of our animals, fosters a sense of appreciation,” said Scott, “And wat you know, you appreciate and what you appreciate, you stand tall for.”
The Living Desert hopes people will take the pledge to share the message of the silent extinction of giraffe on social media three times this week using #StandTallForGiraffe and then share once a month on social media a relevant giraffe story.
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