Into Africa

Karsten and Steff hand feeding a giraffe.
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November 16, 2006 Nairobi

Wow! It’s only been 4 days since we arrived in Africa but it seems so much longer! We have seen and experienced many new things and are realizing that there is so much more to learn about this country and this continent! We have a sneaking suspicion that we will be changed by our sojourn here; that one can not just visit and leave the same. Our first few days have mostly been spent in the safety and comfort of the Mennonite Guest House in Nairobi with a few short trips into the city or to wildlife refuges. Nairobi has a bad reputation for crime and yes, indeed, they have armed guards outside office buildings and security guards outside every residential and business compound. Stories of crime are rampant but life goes on. As we walk through the mud (it is rainy season) to the nearest stores we pass groups of school children in uniforms. They greet us with shy but friendly ‘hello’s or wave at us as our taxi drives by. Clouds of black exhaust from trucks choke us as we walk along the streets, but cyclists don’t seem to care as they hang onto the backs of the trucks to hitch a ride up a hill. What is life like in Africa? We’re just starting to find out but we look forward to the learning!

We have a sneaking suspicion that we will be changed by our sojourn here; that one can not just visit and leave the same.

6 is a crowd?
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Below is a ‘homework assignment’ written by Stephanie. She shares with you some of what she learned about giraffes at the Giraffe Centre of Nairobi.

Giraffes – by Steff

On Nov. 15 my family and I went to the Giraffe Center whose purpose is to breed them and increase the population and to teach the Africans and international tourists, like us, about the Giraffa Camelopardalis (scientific name). Standing on a platform, we were able to feed them with these little pellets that were barely big enough for them to feel on their tongues. Supposedly their spit is very anti-septic and kills germs. But we still washed our hand afterwards. Whenever you held a pellet, they stretched their tongue out as far as they could and took the pellet. I held out my hand to them and they took the whole pile of food by scraping the top of their mouth, which does not have teeth, and rubbing it against my hands, making the pellets fall into their mouth, and partly on the floor. At the center there were two baby boys, 3 mammas and one papa all by himself in a different part of the sanctuary. I had great joy there. Officially giraffes are now my favourite creature. I learned the following facts about giraffes:

The giraffe's long tongue taking a yummy treat (to the giraffe at least) from Steff's hand.
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• These animals are the tallest animal in the WORLD. They are funny looking animals with long skinny necks, long skinny tail, long skinny legs, and a well shaped body. So, practically the whole giraffe is skinny, thin, gangly, and all the other descriptions of thin that come to mind.
• The male giraffe is mainly about 5. 3 meters tall, with a long slimy tongue that is about 40 cm. long. The females are almost the same height and have a long tongue, too. A visible difference between these two genders is the female giraffe has 3 horns and the male has 5. Technically they aren’t all really horns. There are two main horns that stick out on the forehead and the rest are bumps. Male and female giraffes have an additional bump (horn) on the forehead, and males have two between their ears. Giraffes do NOT like their horns to be touched. You can also tell them apart from a distance because males like to stretch up to trees, while females like to bend over smaller trees.
• Giraffes have their long 40 cm. tongues for a purpose; for eating leaves from the acacia tree, of course. The tongue reaches up to the leaves, then, by curling the tongue around them, breaks the leaves off.
• The female giraffe carries a baby inside her for 15 months, but IF in danger, she can hold up the birth of the calf and wait for an additional 3 months. When she does birth her calf, she does it by standing up. The poor baby then has to fall 6 feet to the ground and that is how it cleans it’s lungs out for the first time. You can imagine how that would sound.
• We, as humans, need at least 8 hours of sleep per day, even though we don’t usually get that amount. But a giraffe needs only 5- 30 minutes per 24 hours! And they sleep standing up with their eyes open.
• When in danger, mainly from lions, they kick with their legs and send the predator flying back into the bushes. They have good hearing and sight to locate a sneaky lion waiting to get a snack.
• The life span of a giraffe is about 26 years in the wild, but if protected by a sanctuary or something, then maybe about 36 years.
• This species is like the camel because it can go for about a month without water.