Giraffe. Photo by Rhett A. Butler
Families across the United States are today celebrating Father’s Day. But this Sunday is extra special because it is also World Giraffe Day.
World Giraffe Day was started in 2014 by the Giraffe Conservation Foundation to raise awareness about the animal with the longest neck. June 21st was selected because it is the longest day (Northern Hemisphere) and longest night (Southern Hemisphere) of the year.
While the giraffe is instantly recognizable to most people, few know that wild giraffes are in dire straights: since 1999 Africa’s giraffe population has plummeted from 140,000 to about 80,000. That’s less than a sixth of the wild elephant population.
World Giraffe Day provides an opportunity to lean more about giraffes and what you can do to help.
In celebration of World Giraffe Day, below are a few pictures of the world’s tallest animal.
Giraffe feeding in Kenya. Photo by Rob Roy
Giraffe. Photo by Rhett A. Butler
South African giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa) in South Africa’s Kruger National Park. Photo by Rhett A. Butler
South African giraffe. Photo by Rhett A. Butler
Kilimanjaro Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi). Photo by Rhett A. Butler
Giraffes on the horizon in Kenya’s Maasai Mara. Photo by Rhett A. Butler
Maasai giraffe feeding in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania. Photo by Rhett A. Butler
Reticulated Giraffe from Kenya. Photo by Rhett A. Butler
Reticulated Giraffe from Kenya. Photo by Rhett A. Butler
Reticulated Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) from Kenya. Photo by Rhett A. Butler
