A family regularly shares breakfast with a colony of giraffes who poke their heads through the window of their home in Kenya
Published: 1:06PM BST 21 Jul 2009
Tanya and Mikey Carr-Hartley live in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro on a 140 acre estate which is home to eight Rothschild giraffes, some of the rarest on the planet.
Every day shortly before 9am the beasts stroll up to the house and poke their heads through the windows and doors in search of morning treats.
The couple spend breakfast sipping orange juice and picking at croissants, literally sharing their dining table with the world's tallest mammal.
Now the pair are sharing the mesmerising experience with the outside world- opening the manor gates to guests at the world's only giraffe hotel.
The couple spent their childhood living close to the house in Nairobi, Kenya and have both always been fascinated with the creatures.
"Mikey and I grew up near to this manor house when we were children" said Mrs Carr-Hartley.
"We are both third generation Kenyans who have always wanted to work in conservation.
"Mikey's family have been involved in the protection of animals for many generations.
"His grandad was even involved in the relocation of giraffes as far back as the 1930s. Moving the giraffes ensured their protection and continued existence.
"When the house came up for sale we jumped at the chance to buy it as we had always dreamed of one day owning it."
Giraffe Manor is home to eight Rothschild giraffes, they 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 Scots 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.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/5877815/Family-share-breakfast-table-in-Africa-with-giraffes.html
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment
You only need to enter your comment once! Comments will appear once they have been moderated. This is so as to stop the would-be comedian who has been spamming the comments here with inane and often offensive remarks. You know who you are!