I visited Giraffe Manor in Kenya many years ago, when passing through the area, and have fond memories of its animals. It looks like a lot of progress has been made there, according to the Daily Mail.
In many ways, the setting is just a typical family breakfast.
Young children and their mother enjoy croissants and orange juice while sitting around a table together.
But things become a little different when you notice a giraffe poking its head through the window to join them for a drink and a bite to eat.
In fact, the Carr-Hartley family have the unusual distinction of sharing their home with eight Rothschild giraffes, some of the rarest on the planet.
In the shadow of Kenya’s Mount Kilimanjaro, the world's tallest animals are free to roam their 140-acre estate and are regular visitors at their English-style manor built in the colonial era.
Every day shortly before 9am, the mammoth beasts stroll up to the house and poke their heads through the windows and doors in search of morning treats.
Married owners Tanya and Mikey Carr-Hartley literally share their dining table with them.
And now the pair are sharing the mesmerising experience with the outside world - by opening the manor gates to guests at the world’s only giraffe hotel.
Giraffe Manor is home to eight Rothschild giraffes, which are some of the rarest on earth second only to the Niger Giraffe, with only a few hundred left in the wild.
A conservation project to save them was started at the Manor in 1974 when the grandson of a Scottish earl, Jock Leslie Melville, and his American wife Betty bought the stately home.
Later that year they moved two highly endangered Rothschild giraffe into the estate where third and fourth generations live on.
As well as the herd of giraffes, the manor plays host to a large family of warthogs, exotic birds and the elusive bush buck.
Guests feed the giraffes at breakfast, but can also get up close and personal with them from the second floor bedrooms.
Mrs Carr-Hartley added: ‘We know all of the giraffes by name: 13-year-old Lynne is the leader of the herd and can be very persistent about getting treats
‘Pretty Arlene is 15 years old and is the smallest of the six females. She loves people and will stand below the terrace and allow people to hug her.
‘She quite often loves to just hang out with us and loves to be stroked and touched.
‘She had her only calf, Barney, in August 2007 - they are devoted to each other and he has really come on in the last few months.
‘He is still a little bit nervous about being stroked and touched but he loves kisses.
‘He is currently on the cusp of a scruffy school boy and always has food between his horns dropped by the larger females.
‘He is a typical teenager - one moment a sweet little boy and next second full of attitude.'
. . .
The Rothschild giraffes lost much of their natural habitat in western Kenya and faced extinction.
The ones at the site grow up to more than 16ft tall, weigh two tons and have a life expectancy of up to 30 years.
There's more at the link, including more pictures. Recommended reading.
Peter
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