This cheeky giraffe can’t wind her long neck in.

At least it looks that way after pictures appeared to show she didn’t have one.

But don’t worry – it’s all an illusion caused by the animal ducking under a tree to peer at a crowd of eager wildlife photographers.

The pictures were taken by wildlife biologist Dr Derek Lee, at Tarangire National Park in northern Tanzania during a seasonal survey to document the births, deaths and movements of Masai giraffes.

Dr Lee, 45, who works for the Wild Nature Institute, said: ‘At first, I was amazed and confused by this apparently neckless giraffe!

‘But then I realised she was ducking to look at us under the tree branch, and it was an optical illusion caused by foreshortening.

‘My wife fell out of her seat laughing when she saw it!’

But he also had something serious to say about the future of the animals.

He added: ‘A giraffe without a neck is as unthinkable as a world without giraffes, but that’s where we are heading.

‘They are quietly going extinct along with elephants and rhino – the only three huge land animals to survive from the Pleistocene era, when there were lots of huge animals all over the world.’

Source:
courtesy of METRO

by Jimmy Nsubuga

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