Giraffe

Giraffes can be seen all over in many national parks of South Africa, and it is always nice to watch these big animals wandering through the bush with their gracefully swinging stride almost like in slow moton.

Giraffes are the tallest of all land animals. Grown-up bulls reach a height of almost six metres with a shoulder height of over three metres. They are tree browsers and spend almost all day tearing twigs and leaves off the trees. Their food of choice is the foliage of thorn acacias. To drink water, giraffes have to spread their front legs wide apart. In this position they often become the prey of lions, while in a normal upright position they can defend themselves against them quite well by kicking with their long legs.

Game Parks: There are giraffes in the Kruger Park and in the game reserves Umfolozi, Mkuzi and Pretorius (all in South Africa) as well as in the Etosha National Park (Namibia) and many other game parks.