I did mention in my previous post that I fell head over heels in love with giraffes when we went to the Calauit Safari Park, didn’t I? I wasn’t kidding when I said that. It was a complete turnaround because, as fascinated as I was by these long-necked and long-legged creatures, I was afraid of getting close. Before the end of this morning, I couldn’t keep from touching them and even having them nuzzle my face. It’s love, I tell ya.
(All photos are mine unless otherwise indicated in the captions.)
The Park has a system for feeding these gentle giants. Sure, they can look after themselves by simply going up to the many trees in the area, but they also get their meals served to them by the gamekeepers and Park visitors.
On one side of the wide tract of land, there is a circular platform that is fenced in. We were told to go inside this fenced-in area, and were handed a bunch of twigs or branches with leaves on them by Sir Orland. Not long after that, we could spot the giraffes ambling towards us.
It was a role reversal of sorts: the one feeding is the one caged in while the one being fed is outside, free.
Sir Orland showed us how to feed the giraffes. Hold the branches/twigs slightly at shoulder level, they will bend down to grab a bite of the leaves and, if you want them closer, pull your hand down. Their head will follow the movement, and you can be face to face with them.
Friends, meet Terence.
This is the look of a giraffe who is expecting some fodder. 🙂
It took a bit of practice, but I got the hang of it. Soon after, I kept grabbing branches and feeding them. I even stole some branches supposedly to be used by another couple of visitors to feed the giraffes. Haha! Shameless, that’s me. Our companion, the staff from the hotel who accompanied us, was even dutifully collecting fallen leaves that I could place in the palm of my hand and have the giraffes eat directly from it.
Honest to goodness, I felt like a kid, giggling and laughing the whole time. Even when we got the chance to get really really up close and personal with them. 🙂
They can be quite forceful, though. There are times they take a huge bite, then pull hard. So hard I was frequently tugged upwards.
And check out how they flock!
And, in the middle of the feeding session, look who happened to enter the area. A Calamian deer. We also got to feed it.
This was another experience that I can chalk up to my list of “firsts”. Feeding giraffes was not really high on my agenda when we planned to visit this place, but when we were presented the opportunity, we just went for it. I am so, so glad we did.
Feeding the giraffes was, hands down, the highlight of my visit to Calauit, and I think I also speak for my travel buddies who also enjoyed themselves immensely while spending time with these creatures.
With this experience, giraffes have certainly become one of my favorite animals. 🙂
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