It all began when, as a toddler, I saw the giraffe at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago. I was socaptivated that L later studied biology at the University of Toronto, hoping to learneverything about the species. This didn't happen - there was no interest then in Africaor in animal behaviour in academic biology. After graduating, my aim was to go to Africato study giraffe as soon as possible, but [ had no contacts there to make this happen. Idecided instead to do graduate work for a Master's degree at the university while J wroteletters to see who might help me accomplish my dream. This took many months - lettersto government officials or wildlife departments in countries where there were giraffe,letters to names of people dredged up by friends, letters to professors connected withAfrica, even letters to L. S. B. Leakey who was to launch Jane Goodall on her career fiveyears later. After early rebuffs I used initials for my signature so the recipient wouldpresume [ was a man, but this did not help.
Luckily, about that time Rufus (C. S.) Churcher came from Africa to earn his doctorateat the University ofToronto; he would go on to become a professor there and author ofadefinitive work on fossil giraffe, ' Giraffidae' (1978). He told me about a professor he hadstudied with, Jakes Ewer ofRhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa, who mightbe able to help me. Jakes and his wife, Griff Ewer, were both willing to do this. They putme in touch with Alexander Matthew who managed a citrus and cattle ranch near theKruger National Park on which roamed nearly I 00 giraffe; after some hesitation - he hadassumed I was a man - he finally agreed to have me Jive and work at his ranch. Theseamazing people became friends of mine for life.
As the first person to study giraffe in the field, in 1956-1957, l set myself a hugeagenda. No one had ever before researched a wild animal like this in Africa, so I had noreason to believe that anyone would be interested in studying giraffe in the future, either.It had taken half my money and nearly a month's travel by ship and a 1000-mile trip in asecond-hand car to reach the giraffe in what was fonnerly the Transvaal, so l knew fewpeople could afford the expense and time to do this. Planes were so pricey they were offmy radar. Who could ever afford them? (Foretelling the future is not my strong point,needless to say.) Because of these huge obstacles I felt l had to learn as much about giraffeas l could in the year I had at my disposal before my money ran out (Dagg, 2006). r notedwhat plants they ate, where they roamed, who seemed friendly with whom, where andwhen they drank, males who ' necked' with other males, and the anatomy of a deadgiraffe. The results are described in my first scientific paper (Innis, 1958).

Preface page ix

Aclmowledgements XI

list of abbreviations xii

1 Time-line of giraffe

2 The giraffe's environment 16

3 Feeding in the wild 24

4 Social behaviour and populations 39

5 Individual behaviours 60

6 External features 87

7 Anatomy 100

8 Physiology 117

9 Pregnancy, growth, reproduction and aging 135

10 Giraffe in zoos 153

11 Status and conservation of giraffe races 184

Appendix: Parasites and pathogens 209

References 212

index 239

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