Giraffes and Humans

Giraffes and Humans

Humans and giraffes are quite a different type of relationship than what you get with many other animals. Giraffes have never served a big purpose for humans yet they haven’t been seen as a threat either. Many people are quite fascinated by them which is why they take such an interest in them. They love the gentleness of them as well as the fact that they are so different from other animals out there.

Giraffes often attract a great deal of attention when they are in captivity. It seems that young and old alike are very happy to observe and to be so near these curious animals. However, what goes on with them in the wild is usually another story. It is a situation that most of us aren’t aware of and once you find out the grim details you will likely be saddened by.

Many people are quite surprised to learn that hunting of the giraffe is a common practice in Africa. These are considered to be exotic animals to some people and so part of the thrill to them with hunting is that they can get an animal that most others never will. The excitement of that along with the bragging rights is something that many people are encouraged by.

Guided hunts in Africa can bring in quite a bit of money for villagers that would otherwise be living a life of severe poverty. In addition to hunting giraffes for sport they are often killed to collect and sell their tails and hides. The tails are considered to be good luck charms by many. In some areas they are used to create effective fly swatters to get rid of the big pests in the areas.

The Unique spots on their hides bring in quite a bit of money. The hide of a giraffe is also much thicker than it looks when you see one moving around due to them being thin animals. The fact that the spots are of different sizes and shapes is something that many people find to be intriguing.

In some areas of Africa the giraffes are killed so that they meat can be consumed. It is said that this particular type of meat isn’t nearly as good tasting or nutritionally as other animals. However, in the areas where you are talking about extremely poor villagers they will take any source of meat that they can get their hands on.

The destruction of the areas where giraffes live is a common problem for them. Humans destroy that land without thinking twice about it. When trees are cut down then they don’t have as much to choose from when it comes to sources of food. Even with protective measures in place it continues to happen.

Most humans are happy with giraffes and often list them among their favorite animals to see. However, they don’t realize the flip side of it all in Africa where these animals are being harmed. What you see in a zoo is just one setting for them to live in so it is important to expand your knowledge about the different forms of interactions that humans have with them.

Many researchers have conducted some basic research on the giraffe. Yet there is plenty still to unlock about their lives in the way of communication. There isn’t too much to piece together yet about their evolution process either. Humans and giraffes seem to be able to live somewhat in balance but do keep in mind that humans have to stop destroying their natural habitat so that they won’t end up endangered like so many other animals in the world.