At the Giraffe Centre near Nairobi, Kenya, are 10
Rothschild giraffes.
The Rothschild giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi)
are predominantly from Kenya and Uganda. The giraffes have no markings on the
lower legs, and the markings on their body are jagged or uneven shaped, in
comparison with Kenya’s Masai giraffes (Giraffa
tippelskirchi), which have sharper jagged markings all the way to their hooves, and Reticulated giraffes (Giraffa reticulata), which have polygon-shaped patterns..
Masai giraffes are the smallest giraffes in Kenya at 5 metres (16 feet)
tall, whereas Reticulated giraffes are the tallest at 6 metres (almost 20 feet)
tall. Rothschild giraffes are in-between at 5.5 metres (18 feet) tall.
Rothschild giraffes, originally from west Kenya near the Uganda border,
are endangered (due to loss of habitat) and now only live in sanctuaries in
Kenya.
Masai giraffes live in southern Kenya and Reticulated giraffes live in
northern Kenya.
MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and
development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest
Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The
Sudan Curse (2009).
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