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A virtual gallery: World Giraffe Day

Jun 24, 2014 • Environment, Photos and Creative Art

Sure, Saturday was the longest day of the year. But it also was a day to fete the longest neck in the animal kingdom. Yes, World Giraffe Day was celebrated at Audubon Zoo over the weekend, a first-ever event created by the Giraffe Conservation Foundation to raise awareness and shed light on survival challenges that giraffes are facing as a result of poaching and habitat loss. Currently, fewer than 80,000 giraffes remain in the wild, a reduction of about 40 percent since the late 1990s. Some giraffe facts you may not know:

Giraffes are the tallest animals in the world and they see in color.
Their tongues are up to 20 inches long and their hearts can weigh 25 pounds (see photo).
Giraffes only sleep for 8-15 minutes a day and can do so standing up with their eyes open.
They have the same amount of vertebrae in their neck as humans (7).

NolaVie photographer Hanna Rasanen visited the zoo’s four male giraffes — Chui, Forrest, Bucko and Jumo — in the Audubon Zoo’s African Savanna on World Giraffe Day. Enjoy her portraits of these elusive and fascinating animals.

World Giraffe Day at Audubon Zoo (Photo: Hanna Rasanen)

Hoofstock keeper Megan Halloran holds up a preserved giraffe heart. (Photo: Hanna Rasanen)

Hoofstock keepers Megan Halloran and Ethan Anderson man the “Giraffle” table, featuring artwork by Jeanine Nahra. All proceeds from the raffle went towards the Giraffe Conservation Foundation. (Photo: Hanna Rasanen)