19 August 2022
Some animals are genuinely captivating, and the giraffe ranks fairly high on that list. We learn early in life that giraffes are majestic animals. But are giraffes friendly?
Nothing else looks quite like them thanks to their long necks, and their impressive size makes countless people want to see them up close.
Only when you stand in front of a giraffe will you grasp how breathtaking these animals really are.
A zoo near you may well have giraffes, but to get the most out of the experience, you should see them in their natural habitat.
Although giraffes are not part of the big five, they are a major reason why so many people head out on game drives on safaris in Tanzania.
Perhaps you imagine meeting a giraffe for the first time and maybe even stroking it. Before you do, though, it is worth asking yourself “are giraffes friendly?”.
You might easily assume that these majestic animals are gentle and friendly, but that is not always true. This guide looks at whether giraffes are friendly or not.
Keep on reading to find out more!
What Are Giraffes?
Most of us know what a giraffe is, but let’s take a quick look just in case. As mentioned, giraffes are majestic animals best known for their unique experience.
Their remarkably long necks let giraffes eat leaves straight from the trees.
These long necks are what make the animals so well known, as there is truly nothing else quite like them on Earth.
Giraffes come from Africa. Their coat has a pattern of irregular blotches that you recognise at once.
In fact, there are 4 different species of giraffe, yet all 4 look fairly alike. Put simply, a giraffe is always easy to identify; it is not a species you will mix up with anything else.
Giraffes reach their full adult height by 4 years of age. Depending on whether they are male (a bull) or female (a cow), they usually stand between 4.5 and 5.5 meters tall.
As they grow older they keep putting on weight. In the wild, giraffes usually live for up to 25 years; an estimated 68,000 giraffes live in the wild, and around 28,850 of them are found in Tanzania.
Giraffes are not classed as endangered, but they are a “vulnerable” species because they are losing their natural habitat and face the risk of illegal hunting. So are they friendly? Let’s see.
Are Giraffes Friendly?
On the whole, yes, giraffes are friendly. They usually have a gentle nature and are not a species that would go out of its way to attack a person.
So despite their enormous size, there is no need to fear an attack if you come across one in the wild. Giraffes are unlikely to strike out unless they feel threatened.
Plenty of wild animals are not especially friendly, or at least will not behave in a friendly way when you first meet them.
Most of those are predators that hunt prey. Giraffes, as herbivores, do not hunt for their food. They simply feed on the shoots and leaves of the acacia tree instead.
Because giraffes are grazers, they lack the aggressive streak that comes with hunting to stay alive.
Giraffes live in herds, so in the wild you will often see them moving about in large groups. This way of life helps protect them against other animals.
Many predators in the wild will go after giraffes when there is no other food around.
Giraffes are not usually aggressive towards these predators, but they move in groups so they stay safe rather than exposed.
A lot of predators strike when giraffes are drinking at the watering hole, because bending over leaves the neck exposed.
Moving as a group means half of the giraffes can drink while the rest look out for predators.
That said, giraffes seldom drink at a watering hole. In keeping with their dislike of conflict, they get most of their moisture from the leaves and shoots they eat.
On the whole, giraffes are calm and friendly animals. But do they like people? Let’s see.
Do Giraffes Like Humans?
Before answering, it helps to distinguish between giraffes in the wild and giraffes kept in captivity.
Wild giraffes are quite different, as they have little contact with people, while giraffes in captivity see people all the time in their everyday lives.
Giraffes may be friendly animals, but that does not mean you should go up to them.
As mentioned, giraffes seldom attack unless they feel threatened, yet that is no reason to stroll up to them and impose yourself on them when you spot them in the wild.
They may be gentle by nature, but these are still wild animals. They are not tame, and they are not accustomed to dealing with people.
How friendly they are can vary from one giraffe to the next, but in general wild giraffes do not like people.
It is a different story for giraffes raised in captivity. Many giraffes around the world grow up in captivity, and these are usually friendlier towards people than wild giraffes.
Captive giraffes rely on people and have far more contact with them, particularly giraffes that are born and raised in captivity.
Even so, captive giraffes are normally friendly only towards their keepers. You should therefore not go near a giraffe in captivity unless a zookeeper is with you.
These animals are not aggressive, but their sheer size could put you in danger if something startles them. So although they are friendly, it is still wisest to watch giraffes from a distance.
Summary
So, in short, yes, giraffes are friendly animals. Even so, you should not approach them in the wild.
When a giraffe feels threatened, it will strike out to defend itself and its young. The best approach is simply to watch these majestic animals from a distance.
