Idea #657 – Watching Senegalese giraffes in Bandia
The giraffe, scientific name Giraffa camelopardalis, is an ungulate and ruminant mammal. It is native to the African savannas: it is found from Chad to South Africa. The word giraffe comes from the Arabic zarafa زرافة. The weight of the giraffe is 450 to 1,000 kg for females and can range from 700 to 1,500 kg for males. Its life expectancy is around 25 years. Its coat is predominantly red with yellow spots, but his belly is white. His head has two little horns covered with skin. The giraffe measures 3.80 m at 4.70 m high for females and 4.90 m at 6.10 m for males. Despite appearances, the neck has only seven vertebrae, like that of the man. The hind legs are shorter than the front legs. To be able to drink, the giraffe must spread the legs to reduce its height, or slightly bend the knees. When it runs, the giraffe raises both legs on the same side at the same time: it is said that it goes amble. In case of danger, it can run very fast, reaching 80 km/h, over long distances. The giraffe is herbivorous. It feeds on tree leaves and especially acacia leaves, the tender ones grow between 2 and 6 m high which is ideal for the giraffe.Before the First World War, at the time of the European colonial administration of the region, the local giraffe, named G. C. Peralta existed in Senegal, Niger, eastern Mali, northern Benin, northern Nigeria, Chad and south-west to northern Cameroon. Population growth, involving more intensive agriculture and hunting, a series of dramatic droughts since the end of the 19th century, and the destruction of the environment contributed to its dramatic decline. It only exists in the state of a few hundred animals in Niger. In Senegal, giraffes have been reintroduced into nature reserves, for our greatest pleasure, especially in Bandia.
Where is it ?
Nature Reserve of Bandia, Sénégal
