A family of giraffes
After all of these days on the road, we have finally encountered an African success story! The giraffes of West Africa were nearly extinct; down to 50 giraffes in the wild. In the late 90s, the government established a reserve in Koure and they began to take measures to protect the remaining giraffes. Each year their numbers steadily climb and they are now probably more than 200. It was clear that the animals really are well protected, they would easily let us get a 100 meters from them without panicking. David laid down on the ground and the giraffes would be very curious and get close to see what is happening. I gave it a try also and I could actually hear the giraffe sniffing me. When Bobby tried it, he had about 5 giraffes inspecting him. They were getting very close until he lifted his head slightly to get a glance and he startled them all away.
The giraffes taking a whiff of Bobby laying on the ground.
It was amazing to walk amongst them; they didn’t seem to mind at all. Peta said that these giraffes are very different from the ones they see at home in South Africa. Their base color is very light, nearly white, enabling them to blend in with the arid environment and sands. The reserve was close to Niamey, we arrived at a camp ground just on the outskirts of town. IT had a bar, restaurant, hotel; you name it! We will relax a bit with some cold drinks; it was a great day.
