Are Giraffes Friendly? A Look at These Majestic Giants

Height: Depending on their sex, giraffes achieve their full height typically ranging from 4.5 to 5.5meters by the time they reach four years of age. Known as bulls, the males are basically taller than females, called cows.

Not only does their height give them a great advantage in spotting predators but also contributes to their iconic majestic status.

Food: Extremely herbivores, giraffes principally feed on leaves and shoots from trees like acacia. Their advantageously long necks give them access to food other animals can not reach and this makes them distinctively unique.

They also rarely need to drink water from waterholes since their diet provides much of their hydration.

Lifespan: Although their numbers are significantly declining due to illegal hunting and habitat loss, giraffes can live up to 25 years in the wild. With an estimated 68,000 remaining, including nearly 29,000 in Tanzania alone, giraffes are considered a “vulnerable “species today.

a giraffe and its young one in the wilderness

Are Giraffes Friendly?

However much giraffes can be seen in the zoo, for the ultimate best experience you must see these majestic creatures in their natural habits.
Until you see them, you will not be able to understand just how breathtaking these fascinating animals are.

However, before meeting them, you need to keep reading this article to understand a few things about them.

Given their size and appearance, one can not help but have a striking fear for giraffes. however, they are very peaceful with calm and gentle personalities.

As we early saw, giraffes are grazers and do not have aggressive nature posed by hunting. They are pack animals and once you finally have a chance to see them in the wild, you will find out that they move in large groups to protect each other.

In cases where predators don’t have any other food available, giraffes often fall prey of their hunting nature and that explains why they move in groups, to make sure that they are protected, safe and not vulnerable.

While others are grazing, others stay alert and vigilant to provide safety from major predators like lions, hyenas among others

However gentle these majestic animals are, they are still wild animals and once they feel threatened, they are forced to act defensive against threats imposed on them.

Yes, they are peaceful, but do they like humans? Let’s delve into this to find out.

Are giraffes fond of humans?

However peaceful giraffes are, their relationship with humans highly depends on their environment. Since undomesticated giraffes are not accustomed to human presence, they are noticed to basically observe quietly at a distance.

In contrast, this is different for those in captivity and here is why. Since giraffes raised in captivity interact with zookeepers on a daily basis, they are more familiar with humans and could even show interest, curiosity or friendliness towards visitors.

They are more friendly to humans compared to those in the wild, however, they still remain wild animals and may not be able to form bonds beyond their caretakers whom they are interactive with on a daily in spite of them tolerating humans.

Despite the fact that giraffes are friendly, it is of the highest regards to note that they are not safe to come close to both in the wild and captivity. Their giant height makes them quite unpredictable and that on its own poses a high risk. On that regard, you are highly advised to admire them at a safe distance.

birds flying over two giraffes in the savannah