It all started in 1825 when Berbardino Drovetti, the zealous consul of France in Cairo, received a circular from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs prepared by the Natural History Museum calling for specimens of exotic animals. The Pasha Mohammed Ali had just received two pretty young giraffes from a Sudanese lord. Sending a giraffe in France would certainly be enough to make a magnificent coup. The French did not have any specimen of this giant of the savannah and a just a few engravings providing approximate description that Buffon had written from fanciful accounts by explorers.

This ruminant which could reach 5 feet tall and weigh 1000 kg was named Caméléopardis because it was thought to be the fruit of love between a leopard and a camel! Drovetti slipped the idea to the pacha’s ear, making him dangling the infinite gratitude of the King of France. But Egypt was in a very tense political climate with France because of its involvement in the suppression of the revolt of the Greek Christians against the Turks. The Pasha found the idea very wise and instructed his consul to do the delicate transporting of the animal with a long neck. Four months later, the two baby giraffes ascended the Nile by boat to Cairo. One was for France and the other for England which had called for a specimen like the one the French expected.

In France, officials were bursting with enthusiasm as never before was a giraffe arrived in France! But how to send such a treasure? Drovetti, promoted in a snap to giraffe specialist, got a short-term loan from the king and wrote a list of recommendations: the animal had to drink 25 liters of milk per day, so ne needed with him three dairy cows. In order to fight against the brutal effect of expatriation, it should be accompanied by two young Sudanese men, and finally he was also surrounded with antelopes and horses. Thus the King`s giraffe sailed on a small ship with two masts in the bridge which had an opening covered with straw, so that it could unfold its long neck without hurting itself.

A shelter was built over its head to protect it from the sun. The strange craft landed Marseille on October 23rd, 1826 without further incident except a cow suffering from seasickness! The prefect of the Bouches-du-Rhône, well aware of the interest aroused from such an arrival, decided to install the immigrant for the winter in the courtyard of the Prefecture, where he had prepared special heated apartments . It was soon the show in town: all the good company ran from Provence. Academics took turns day and night to jot down all the details of his behavior and discovered with astonishment that the giraffe was mute: her throat was so elegant but without vocal cords. The newspapers spoke of it. During daily walks organized by the prefect and surrounded by mounted police, the crowd was delighted.

The first days of spring, the king showed signs of impatience and began to call for his giraffe. But to transport this cumbersome child of the tropics? A brief quarrel flared: should it be conveyed by sea, using the rivers or on land? Despite his fragile health and 55 years of age, zoologist Saint-Hilaire decided to embark on the adventure and arrived in Marseilles in April for the preparations of the departure. It was then found out that the giraffe was naked! He had to make a costume on the field for the journey: the giraffe was therefore clothed with an imperial garment fully buttoned, with a hood stretched enough to cover the head and neck and struck with both the arms of the King of France and those of the Pasha of Egypt.

A strange caravan set off on May 19th, 1827: the giraffe dressed and shod, and his Sudanese companions, the cows, some Egyptians in costume, a valet in charge of transporting the surviving antelope, two sheep and luggage, and some gendarmes and their frames and finally a whole host of onlookers. It was decided that the giraffe would under the supervision of the police, give two hearings a day: one for the people and one for the notables. It arrived in Lyon on June 6. At each stop, the curious people crowded and they were bedazzled to no end: see how its eyes are large and velvety, her elegant walk, her noble head carriage. But when the giraffe unexpectedly left its placid mood to snatch a few sprigs of mimosa of a sudden, a shudder of horror ran through the crowd which had seen a black snake coming out of her mouth!

Shortly before the end of June, Paris was in sight. Carriage tours and boats on the Seine proposed the most eager to go to meet the giraffe as expected. On June 30th, the King demanded that it visited him as soon as possible in his home in Saint-Cloud. The procession set off once again for a very formal march along the Seine fifteen kilometers with the garrison of Paris leading the way, general horses with feathers, professors and dignitaries in their robes of great pomp. The King, the Duke of Angouleme, the Duchess, the Duchess of Berry and her two children were there to receive the stranger.

The giraffe behaved perfectly: she snatched the rose petals gently offered by the sovereign, the duchess slipped a garland of flowers around its neck and children stroking his beautiful spotted coat. On the way back, masses of spectators were difficult to contain. Over the next six months, 600,000 Parisians bought tickets to visit the giraffe which came from Egypt. Although its regimen was considerably diversified attending the tasting of its daily milk remained a very popular show: tilting its neck to the bucket placed on the ground, it did the splits with its front legs to the cheers of the crowd. The toll bridge of Austerlitz, which was one of the access roads to the menagerie, made an unprecedented revenue, tickets were sold at double the price for a closer look at the show. Then the glory of the exotic animal lost its novelty and Balzac described the decline in a story published by the newspaper La Silhouette.

However, the giraffe lived peacefully until the age of 21 years between the gardens and its furnished apartments in the rotunda of the Jardin des Plantes, with heated and padded mats. Sharing it was its trainer, faithful cook buffing and caring coat, who lodged for twelve years on a balcony suspended inside the rotunda at head height of his beloved animal.

After the war of 1914, the Museum had too many stuffed giraffes as these elegant animals had subsequently invaded the zoos, having easily enough acclimated to captivity and even given birthrise to many babies. The girafe from the Pacha of Egypt, the first of its kind opening a route between Africa and France, made a final trip to the Museum of La Rochelle and can be admired along the Orangutan of Empress Josephine.

The best time to go on a safari is from June until September. In that period you have a higher chance to see the animals due to leafless trees. In that season wildlife watching is easier due to the fact that most of the species are out in the open because of the limited amount of food and water, thus they need to move in order to survive. You can also go on a safari from December until February, but that period is chosen mostly due to hot weather and not wildlife watching.

The National Parks in South Africa are great, and Kruger National Park is among the best. Singita is known to be the best place for spotting animals and it is very close to Kruger National Park. In this area you will find the Big Five (Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Elephant and Buffalo) and some of the great places you can go are Londolozi Pioneer Camp, Lion Sands or Mala Main Camp, which will provide you with great experiences concerning the Big Five.

Nevertheless, you do not have to stick to this concept while you are on a safari. There are many other species which you can see such as zebras, giraffes, warthog and the list could go on. In order to be able to have a real safari taste, you should have a guide who will point out the most important activities. Other than that you will feel safer while having a local with you after you have just seen some lion tracks. In addition, you will benefit of an important amount of information concerning South Africa. However, this privilege comes with costs. A guide may not be as cheap as you think, but if you are short on cash you may be able to negotiate or resort to locals who do not have a guide’s experience, but can point you to the right direction.

A top experience is a walking safari. The beauty of it is the fact that it is one of a kind. If you choose to do it two times, you will notice that the two walking safaris are not similar. Many unexpected animals could appear and you will have the time of your life. A walking safari could last a few hours or a few days; it all depends on you. Apart from this, sleeping under the stars is a romantic and exciting experience. Stop by the Lion Sands and the staff there will know exactly how to arrange one the best nights in your life.

Do not forget to pack appropriate clothes and other things you may need. Remember that you are going on a safari, not in the middle of civilization, thus prepare in advance. Other than that, just relax and enjoy your stay among the living wonders of nature.

The males are known as jack and are mostly used in the production of mules. The female is known as jenny and the kid is known as the foal. The first evidence of the domestication of the asses dates back to the Mesopotamian era in Egypt. Even though the domesticated variety is increasing in number, there are other variations like the Onager and the African Wild Ass which are now endangered. The first use of the word donkey was in 1784 or 1785, until then the word ass was mainly used to refer to these animals. There were several reasons like homophones and word similarities that led to this change in name.

There are donkeys of various sizes based on the breed and its maintenance. The size range is mainly between 80 to 160 cm and weight of 80 to even 480 kg. The normal life span is 30 to 50 years but in poor working conditions they live for about 12 – 15 years. They are best adapted to the desert lands and the wild varieties in these areas do not form harems. The adult donkey defines a range and this area will usually have a single jack ass. The donkeys bray loudly as it is a mode of communication to keep in contact with others in the desert. The large ears help to pick up sound and also cool the donkey blood.

The jenny remains pregnant for about 12 months and delivers a single foal, even though there are rare cases of twin foal deliveries. Donkeys can be cross bred with other members of the Equidae family. A jack when cross bred with a mare produces a mule which is mainly used for riding and domestic jobs. A stallion can be bred with a jennet to produce a hinny. Both hinny and mules are sterile.

Unfortunately donkey is used as an expression meaning someone not very smart, as these animals are rather stubborn. In particular calling a player a donkey at the poker table is not a great compliment. In texas holdem games on the Web or in a casino, the donkeys are the bad players whom the pros seek in order to feed on them. Fish and donkey are synonym in this context, and to be stubborn is a bad habit in a card game.

For self-defense, donkeys use techniques like biting, striking and kicking. They are renowned for their stubbornness. After several researches into this characteristic of the donkey, it has been found to be for self-preservation. If you try to force a donkey to do some act that it detects to be dangerous, you can observe that the animal will not budge. This is in case the donkey has not built a strong relation with the commanding human. Donkey can be easily domesticated and it is easy to earn their confidence. Once domesticated efficiently, they can be a form of great help in work. Even though donkeys are thought to be foolish, studies have revealed that these animals are intelligent and cautious ones.

Whales are animals that excite the attention of naturalists because these marine creatures are classified as mammals and not fish. Indeed, these animals are actually aquatic mammals. They breathe air with the help of their lungs since they do not have gills. In addition, they give birth to their young instead of laying eggs and they also suckle and look after their young. They are warm blooded creatures and have four-chambered hearts just like other mammals. However, they are incapable of living on land and therefore spend their entire life in the oceans. Their bodies are perfectly adapted for life in the water.

Scientists believe that these large and gentle cetaceans are extremely intelligent since they have been discovered to communicate with each other. Studies of underwater sound recordings have picked up all sorts of whistles and moans that these graceful animals use to communicate with each other over thousands of miles of wide open ocean. They live in groups called pods that are generally very stable.

The past century has not been kind to these giants of the oceans. Many species of whales have been hunted almost to extinction. Some cultures such as the Inuit have depended on whales for their sustenance and they have great respect for these animals even though they hunt them regularly. They do not hunt them in very large numbers. The species of whale that the Inuit hunt is generally the Narwhal.

However, many other people have gone after these animals in great numbers because of commercial reasons. The numbers of sperm whales were greatly depleted because they were hunted for a substance called ambergris that was needed for the perfume and medical industry. Other species are killed for the oil that could be obtained by boiling down their blubber and also for their flesh. Shipping fleets from Europe and the United States brought many species of whales close to extinction. The biggest demand for whale meat these days is from Japan where it is considered a great delicacy.

Scientists also believe that human beings are confusing whales because of the many radio signals and noises created by ships, submarines and the like. These audio signals interfere with the whales’ ability to communicate with each other and this sometimes causes them to lose their bearings. This interferes with their annual migration and affects their ability to get the necessary nutrition because they need to travel to the right feeding grounds. These underwater sonic disturbances also affect their ability to find mates.

Ironically a whale is a term used in live and online gambling to represent the largest players in a casino. One whale could be worth as much as thousands of regular players in a brick and mortar or online casino, and for operators of such establishments this is the holy grail so to speak.

It would be a great tragedy if these majestic creatures were hunted out of existence because of man’s short sighted policies and immense greed. Thankfully, many countries that were formerly involved in hunting whales have taken an undertaking to help protect them. It remains to be seen whether it is still possible to bring many species of whales back from the brink of extinction. Many scientists believe that efforts at conservation might be too late for certain species of these majestic mammals of the deep.

Animal transportation is usually the source of great suffering because people don’t always do things in the right manner. While some people do this on purpose, perhaps because they don’t want to spend money on doing things in the right manner, other people are simply ignorant about what needs to be done. As a result, the animals are not given the comfort and safety they need in order to help then make the journey well. Many animal breeders, research organizations and even government organizations are guilty of these excesses.

Animals can be transported by road, train, plane or ship depending on various factors. If the destination is very close to the place of origin then travel by road would be the best option. Transportation over long distances is usually done by ship or air. Animal transportation by air is now considered to be the best game plan even if it is expensive because the journey gets over in the shortest time possible; thereby reducing the amount of tilt the animal has to deal with.

Government has got into the picture these days by forming all sorts of regulations regarding how animals have to be transported. This includes the kind of food that the animals should get as well as its quantity. The animals also need to be in cages of the right size so that they are comfortable in them. Steps should also be taken to ensure that they do not get hurt if the journey is a rough one due to bad weather or other reasons. Experienced transporters also employ their knowledge about animal behavior in order to plan the arrangements well. The right company will also have plenty of experience with preparing the necessary documents in case the animals need to be exported. This includes health certificates and immigration papers for the animals. If the animal requires to be quarantined then the transporter will also take care of the needful while ensuring that it is well looked after during this period.

Pet owners who are relocating from one place to another might also cause suffering to their pets, albeit inadvertently, if they entrust the job to a transporter who does not follow regulations correctly. It is not enough to play with them. Therefore, they need to ensure that they only give the job of transporting their pets to a company that has a good reputation in the market. This can easily be determined by doing some research about it on the internet or by asking other people who might have used the same company’s service. It is definitely important to use a lot of compassion while transporting these creatures who depend on humans.