Lucy, Roni and Growie – arrived at the Zoo in mid April. Growie, the male Rothschild’s giraffe and the youngest of the three, flew in from Burger’s Zoo & Safari in the Netherlands. Lucy and Roni, the two female Angolan giraffes, traveled by sea from The Tisch Family Zoological Gardens in Jerusalem, Israel. Their trip took them 16 days.

Tall, graceful and gentle – the giraffe is one of the most admired animals. It is the tallest living land animals. Males (bulls) can grow to almost 6meters tall; females (cows) are generally shorter by a meter. The record height of the giraffe is 6.1m. The most outstanding feature of giraffes is their long necks.

The giraffe has the longest tongue in the animal kingdom. It can extend to a record length of 53cm! Its flexible tongue functions like a ‘hand’ for grasping leaves. It has a tough and leathery surface, which allows the animal to feed on the thorny acacia.

Although giraffes extract water from the leaves that they eat, they drink regularly. When the giraffe drinks, it needs to spread its legs and stand in an awkward position to reach the water at ground level. In this position, it cannot deliver its powerful and deadly kick to fend off predators such as lions.

Giraffes sleep for less than four hours a day. And when they sleep, they often do so while standing. Occasionally, they sleep lying down but they do not remain in this position for more than five minutes.

Giraffes originate from Africa. They are usually found on the plains or in open forests. They avoid dense forests – with a lock neck, it is easy to get caught amongst branches and vines. Each herd comprises 2 to 50 animals. Individuals within a herd may wander off by themselves or join another herd. Giraffes are great wanderers – they travel great distances in search of food.

In the wild, the average life span is 10 years although they can live up to 28 years in captivity.