Mr. Sidney Mugerwa of the New Vision notes that Giraffes are strange
animals, all neck and long legs splaying about as they run awkwardly
from one acacia tree to another. One wonders what the Maker was thinking
when he crafted them. Watching them, one expects them to tumble into a
jerky heap on the ground. It gets comical when the giraffe tries to
quench its thirst at the watering hole: a tower of Babel standing 16 to
20 feet tall having to stoop to the water level. Such a spectacle!
When ancient Greeks and Romans first set eyes on a giraffe, they assumed
it was the hybrid of a leopard and a camel. That could have explained
the white and brown spots that resembled those of a leopard and the
close likeness to desert camels. Thus they named the strange beast
Giraffa camelopardalis. These esteemed gentlemen apparently did not
understand the dynamics of predator versus prey.
To be frank, giraffes look like a camel with its neck stretched out and
thickened with too much good food. A ridge of neck hair is also
attached for effect and coloured brown, finished with a coat of spotted
skin. They have a pouting mouth and no chin at all; and beautiful, lazy
heavily-lashed eyes that blink seductively. A couple of short blunt
horns, called ossicones, complete the look with tufts of hair growing at
the tips (for the females).
The graceful giraffe actually pulls it off, looking exotic and beautiful
as they munch on leaves high up in the trees without a care in the
world and all this beauty will be experienced on a uganda safari while in Africa.
Of the nine species of giraffe spread across Africa totalling a measly
80,000, the Rothschild’s giraffe is native to Uganda and the only
species that is still surviving in their natural habitat. The Uganda
Wildlife Authority tallies them at 1,050 in number, 750 of which are
found in Murchison Falls National Park and less than 25 in Kidepo Valley
National Park. The rest of the Rothschild’s population can be found in
Kenya. These beauties make the shortlist in the endangered category.
Males are generally taller and heavier than the females and a shade
darker. What makes the Rothschild’s giraffe stand out from its peers
such as the Masai giraffe is that its legs from the knee down do not
have spots; one would say that they look dashing in their knee length
white socks.
A pilot research project to be based in Murchison Falls National Park
has been launched that aims to understand population size, dynamics,
ecology and threats giraffes face. Spearheaded by the Giraffe
Conservation Foundation, Conservation Scientist Dr. Julian Fennessy
alongside researchers, Stephanie Fennessy and Andy Tutchings will team
up with a researcher at Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC), Henry
Opio for the project: The team will be hosted by Marasa Africa at their
Paraa Safari Lodge located in Murchison Falls National Park.
To plan your visit to the Murchison falls National park and have a chance to view the Rothschild Girraffe, visit www.gulutours.com and they will ensure you have a memorable to Uganda, the Pearl of Africa.
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