Giraffe CPR

Happy Summer Solstice!  

The longest day of the year is set aside to honor the longest necks, as today is also World Giraffe Day!  Giraffes are some of the most iconic of zoo animals, and are regularly encountered in zoos across the world.  There popularity has only expanded in recent years due to the prevalence of feeding platforms, which allow guests to have hands-on interaction with the tall mammals (I'm almost hard pressed to remember the last time I went to a zoo with giraffes that didn't have a feeding station).  

On the more negative side, giraffes have also been the victims of a "silent extinction," their numbers in the wild declining without as much media concern as has been directed towards the decline of elephants and rhinos.

I get a kick out of this cartoon because, in reality, sick or injured giraffes are a GIANT (pun unintended) pain in the butt to treat due to their unique physiology...