For the Love of Giraffes
About HeartGiraffes
I love giraffe. I have a dream of traveling to Africa to see giraffe in the wild one day, but know it might not happen. I spent hours photographing and watching giraffe at various zoos. Whenever we traveled, a zoo was always on the list of places to visit. Then we decided if we were going to Africa while we are both in pretty good health, it needed to be now. We were ready. I got the money for the trip and although not a lot, it was enough for a decent visit. I started to talk to some safari companies, then Covid hit.
Backing up a little, in 2019, my husband and I started to volunteer to be puppy raisers in 2019 for Southeastern Guide Dogs. Our first pup is a black lab named Carter. I say is because we adopted Carter in April 2020 when Covid hit and everything came to a stop at the school. Carter had allergies, so there was the possibility that she would not make guide dog or a service dog. Princess Pet fits her well, although we will be working towards a license therapy dog because she has such a gentle soul and loves people -- and she must fulfill her destiny.
We started another black lab until a puppy raiser could be found, then started puppy sitting a spunky yellow goldador that we sponsored and named after our daughter's best friend who died at age 20. She came to be our puppy in training in August 2020 and is getting close to going back to university to choose her chosen career probably in October. Our lives are so much different than when I started this page. One dog it was easy. Two dogs keep me so busy I thought about pulling the plug on this site completely since so many things have gone wrong in the last year (old computer, widgets that I use for distributing news stories about giraffe breaking and being told they will not be fixed until 2022, and computers that are rebuilt and have broken my websites. I'm slowly putting things back together.
So back to giraffe. Although I have always been intrigued with giraffe from the time we visited Brookfield Zoo as a child and doing the unthinkable of feeding the giraffe marshmallows, it wasn’t until a giraffe named Ivan from the San Diego Zoo Safari Park (at that time it was the San Diego Wild Animal Park) really captured my heart. He had such a crazy personality and I started to really look at giraffe with their different personalities. Ivan the Giraffe lived at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park from 1990 until his death in 2008. He was 19 years old when he died, and he sired 23 offspring during his lifetime. My last visit was in 2013, and I was told the giraffe we were feeding was sired by Ivan. The San Diego Zoo archives had a story about Ivan the Giraffe (PDF) after he died. I snagged a PDF and hope they don't mind. (It's no longer on their site).
So I found myself with zillions of giraffe pictures sitting on my computer. I also LOVE famous quotes and had quite a collection of quotes (as well as numerous books). What a waste that they would sit on a computer. I decided to start an Instagram account to share one giraffe photo a day until I run out. That's why I could not pull the plus on HeartGiraffes -- I'm not done sharin . The giraffe world has so many lovely people who go out of their way to help you and I am encouraged to continue as much as I can.
By the way, I give individuals permission to share my photos on Instagram (that are also shared to the Facebook HeartGiraffes page) as long as they leave the photo as is. Do not remove the copyright and always give HeartGiraffes credit. If I see you are a store (for profit) and you are sharing my content under your name, I will report you to the Instagram or Facebook police. As for individuals, please do not change the photo or use it as your own. If someone wants to use my photo on their account and they are affiliated with an organization that saves giraffe, I do allow them to use my photos but they always ask and give credit.
Updated 7/18/2021
""Once you've experienced giraffe slobber, you're never the same!" -- HeartGiraffes
Organizations
These are just some of the great organizations who are instrumental in saving wild animals.The Giraffe Conservation Foundation's vision is that of a sustainable future where all giraffe populations and (sub)species are protected and secure in the wild.
SanWild does wildlife rehabilitation to sick, injured, and orphaned wild animals with the goal of returning them to the wild. They also have a rhino sanctuary where they rescue, relocate, and rehabilitate any orphaned, injured, or unwanted rhinos to well-protected and approved wildlife sanctuaries.
San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy
San Diego Zoo Global is committed to using science-based techniques and fostering collaboration and cooperation to save species from extinction. They have taken a leadership role and collaborate with others to save species from extinction.
Save the Giraffe
Save the Giraffe supports conservation research and education programs that strive to ensure the survival of giraffes and their ecosystems for future generations.
David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is a successful orphan-elephant rescue and rehabilitation program. Located in East Africa, they are leaders in conservation, preservation and protection of wildlife.