Etosha National Park: Giraffe

I found that zebra would stop and look and investigate people and cars in the park. So would springbok and impala, and gemsbok always looked up suspiciously when I neared them. But giraffe largely ignored the people and cars in the park.

This giraffe, pictured at Chudop waterhole, was much more inquisitive than most and spent some time looking at me and the car.

Giraffe are nearly as tall as a two storey building. They weigh well over a tonne. But they can hide remarkably effectively.

This giraffe was photographed near the Namutomi camp.

Giraffe go through a lengthy pantomime each time they want to drink. They have two problems. Their legs are longer than their necks. And they are vulnerable to lion only when drinking (otherwise, a giraffe can kick a lion to death).

To get their heads down far enough, they spread their front legs, first one foot, then the other. Some giraffe (I think maybe older ones) also bend their knees, as this one did.

To avoid a lion, each giraffe spends several minutes at the water's edge, looking around, sniffing the air, making absolutely sure, checking again, shuffling his or her feet, just having one last look, leaning a little towards the water, giving one last look around, having another quick look around, and finally leaning forward to drink.

Watching giraffe alone it is easy to forget just how big they are. Giraffe are nearly three times as tall as a zebra at the shoulder, and weigh nearly four times as much.

The gates of each camp close at sunset. I frequently found that I had lingered too long watching animals and then I struggled to get home on time while driving within the 60km/hr speed limit.

That was the case one afternoon when I had 41km to drive from Andoni Plain back to the Namutomi camp. I had no time to be distracted or slowed down, when I came across these giraffe on the road.

Seen from afar when they are at a waterhole, giraffe look tall and lithe and elegant. Seen up close, right next to the car, they were frighteningly large, muscular and strong. I worried that one would run onto the road in front of the car. Giraffe spread along the road for perhaps 100m. I made it back to camp with only minutes to spare!

One afternoon I was at Chudop waterhole on my own. Some gemsbok and zebra had been around, but they all wandered away. Then along came a giraffe, then some more giraffe, then another family. Eventually I counted 38 giraffe around the waterhole. And I was the only one there to see them!

While at Chudop, when there were 38 giraffe around the waterhole, two warthogs came along. They seemed so small, and so comical surrounded by the tall giraffe.