Huge Herd of Over 100 Giraffes Filmed in Amazing Encounter
An enormous herd of giraffes has been filmed in Tanzania by a safari guide who shared the footage on social media.
Exaud Marandu, director of Utopia Safaris, told Newsweek it was only the second time in his 20 years as a safari guide that he had seen such a large gathering of giraffes.
He posted the video to his Facebook page, with the post saying: "You think you have seen giraffes. Come to Tanzania and explore the real nature ... This was such a great experience to see them in [a] big group like this."
Marandu said the herd was made up of 129 individuals. It included males, females and calves. He also said there were zebras with the herd. "They are moving because they are expecting rain," he told Newsweek. "They move towards the hills to avoid the mud and disease."
The clip is 30 seconds long and sees the enormous herd crossing a road. Marandu said he hopes to go back to the area in the coming weeks with better camera equipment in the hope of filming the herd more.
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At time of writing, Marandu's video had been viewed over 50,000 times, with many commentators saying the footage was amazing.
Tanzania is home to the Masai giraffe. According to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, it is seen as the national animal of the east African country and the species is protected.
It is illegal to kill, wound, capture and hunt giraffes. Across Tanzania and Kenya, there are estimated to be 45,400 Masai giraffes—down from 71,000 about 30 years ago.
The biggest threats facing the species is the expansion of humans into their range. Habitat loss and fragmentation as a result of agriculture has placed pressure on these creatures, while illegal poaching has also affected their numbers.
Giraffes are the tallest land animal on Earth. Calves can be around six foot when they are born, while adults normally reach around 16 foot. The Guinness World Record for the tallest giraffe belongs to a male born at Auckland Zoo in 2007. He was measured to be 18ft 8in in height. The giraffe, named Forest, currently lives at the Australia Zoo in Queensland.
Masai giraffes differ from other subspecies in that they are darker, with their patches being large and dark brown. Their patches are surrounded by lighter brown hair.
The Masai giraffe is currently listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List as endangered.
