My Giraffe Journey

If someone were to peek in on my room, they would probably see a pretty basic room for the average sixteen-year-old. I have a standard bed with a bright pink comforter, filled with numerous floral pillows. My walls are painted a bland shade of white, but they are decorated with numerous polaroid photos of me and my friends at the pool in the summertime. If an adult were to randomly go in my room, they would probably note that my closet, filled to the brim with numerous types of dresses, looks exactly like the closet of their own daughters or nieces. However, I don’t think that anyone would ever guess what I hide in my room at night (no, it’s not my phone or a TV!). The thing that I hide in my room is furry, yellow with brown spots, and very tall. In other words, I have a pet giraffe. 

“How does one come to own a pet giraffe?” is a question everyone would ask me if they knew that I had a pet giraffe. The story of how I obtained my pet giraffe started out as just an ordinary summer day. I woke up, had some breakfast, and began texting my friends, trying to figure out a plan for going to the pool that day. But, then, my mom made an impromptu announcement: 

“Kids, get dressed! We're going to the zoo!” 

When I first heard the proclamation, I was a bit confused. Prior to this day, I had not been to the zoo since I was seven years old. I didn’t mind going to the zoo, but it was a surprising way to spend the day. 

“Mom, how come we're going to the zoo?” I asked. 

“I just won tickets for an exclusive tour of all the animals at the zoo!” my mom said excitedly. “I thought that it would be a fun thing to experience!” 

“What do you mean, ‘exclusive tour?’” I asked, genuinely curious. 

“We’ll be able to pet all the animals at the zoo when we get there!” 

My younger brother, Luke, started jumping up and down. At five years old, he was obsessed with Animal Planet. 

“Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes!” Luke started chanting. 

“Let’s get in the car and go see them!” my mom said, pushing us out the door and into the car. 

When we got to the zoo, we met our very friendly tour guide, Hannah.

“Where to first?” Hannah asked. 

Again, Luke started chanting, “Giraffes! Giraffes! Giraffes!” So, off to the giraffe exhibit we went. 

When we arrived at the giraffe exhibit, I was awestruck at the beauty of the giraffes up close. The alternating tan and brown spots of the giraffe formed a checkerboard pattern, and the long fur on the giraffe was perfectly groomed. Before this moment, I had never realized how beautiful the eyes of a giraffe were: the eyelashes on the giraffe were a sharp black color, and they curled inward, protecting the fragile eyes. I understood at this moment why Luke was so obsessed with giraffes! 

For the most part, the giraffes were experts at social distancing, and they kept a healthy distance from us. I was glad that none of them ran away in fear when we entered their small grassland home. However, one giraffe, a baby was especially friendly towards us, and she kept nudging herself over to Luke and me. 

“Can I pet her?” I asked Hannah when the baby giraffe kept flinging its snout at me. 

“You sure can!” Hannah replied. “Her name is KoKo; she was just born just two weeks ago! You must be the giraffe whisperer! I’ve never seen any giraffe be so friendly around humans!” 

I was flattered by Hannah’s compliment, but I felt warmth fill my body the first time I stroked the luscious fur of the baby giraffe. Tears rolled down my cheek onto the giraffe’s tiny charcoal nose as I dug my fingers into the giraffe’s fur. KoKo kept cuddling my arm, and, although I felt a strong urge to hug her, I refrained from doing so, careful not to ruin our strong bond. 

“Let’s go see the gorillas!” Luke shouted, arousing me from my intimate moment from KoKo. Reluctantly, I took my hand off of KoKo and waved goodbye. As I exited the pen, she made direct eye contact with me,and I could see through the slight curve in her eyes that she was saddened by my departure. 

“Love you KoKo,” I said as I trailed away, already falling behind Luke and my mom, who were very eager to see the gorillas. 

The rest of the day at the zoo was quite eventful; we visited the gorillas, penguins, and meerkats. Still, as fascinating as the tiny, yet speedy meerkats we're, I couldn’t help but revisit my encounter with KoKo. I could still feel the warmth of KoKo’s breath on my hand as I lay down in my bed that night. Little did I know that, in just a few days, I would feel that warmth again. 

Five days later, I was in my bed, my eyes blinking rapidly, just seconds away from my head smacking down on my pillow when the home phone started ringing abruptly. Startled, I raced down the stairs to retrieve it. 

“Hey, is this Mrs. Evaen?” 

“Hannah?” I responded, bewildered. Immediately, I heard concern in her voice. 

“Hey, Dominique,” Hannah replied, her voice heavy with stress. “Is your mom around?” 

“Actually, yeah, she’s right here,” I said just as my mom walked into the kitchen, looking confused. 

“Who are you talking to Dominique?” my mom questioned. “It's 11 p.m.” 

“It’s Hannah.” I mouthed back. 

“Hey, Mrs. Evaen. We have a bit of a situation over here at the zoo. KoKo, the giraffe that you guys saw here the other day, hasn’t slept or eaten in five days. She’s super stressed now that she’s not around Dominique, and, well, we think that she may have imprinted on Dom.”

“Okay, well, what does that mean?” my mom asked tentatively. 

“Well, we were thinking that it may be best if KoKo could be around Dominique for a few days, just until we get her eating again.”

“I’m sorry, Hannah, but my daughter cannot sleep at the zoo.” my mom responded, slightly disgusted. 

“No, it may be better if KoKo comes to your house.” Hannah spit out before immediately going silent. 

“Is this some sort of joke?” my mother scoffed. 

“No, if KoKo is around Dominique, then she’ll start eating and sleeping again, and, if she’s at your home, then she’ll eventually start to crave her natural environment again and want to be home.” 

Before my mother could answer with a hard “No,” I snatched the phone away from her and asked Hannah, “What will happen to KoKo if she doesn’t come home with us?” 

“Well,” said Hannah, “there’s a possibility that she could become too weak and die.” 

I looked at my mother, tears welling up in my eyes. I didn’t have to say anything to beg her to let KoKo stay with us for a few days. 

“Fine!” my mother yelled, repulsed at the idea of having a wild animal in her home but still too kind to let an animal suffer. “But, Dominique, she is staying in your room, and you will take care of her at all times.” 

I began to squeal in delight, jumping up and down and making a big thumping noise that reverberated throughout the house. 

“Great!” Hannah exclaimed! “We can drop her off tonight!” 

“She gets forty-eight hours in my home.” my mom firmly stated. 

“Perfect, that should be enough time for her to recover.” 

“Yes!” I yelled as soon as my mother got off the phone. Immediately, I started showering my mom with compliments: “You’re the best mom ever! I love you so much! You are amazing! Have I ever told you how kind and loving you are!”

“Enough,” my mom said with a chuckle. “You won’t be getting any presents on your birthday until you are thirty.” 

While I waited for KoKo to arrive, I danced through the halls of my house, not even worrying one bit that I may be disturbing my dad and Luke, who were already sleeping. Finally, I heard a soft knock at the door, and I sprinted toward it, eager to see KoKo once again. 

I opened the door, letting Hannah and KoKo in. 

“Okay, “ Hannah said, making herself at home on our couch. “Here are twenty bags of carrots, hay, and acacia leaves for KoKo to eat. Just leave the food open and available in your room so that KoKo can just eat it whenever she’s hungry throughout the day.”

I nodded excitedly, trying not to let KoKo, who was already smothering me with her tongue, distract me from Hannah’s instructions. 

“Take her outside a few times each day to let her go to the bathroom, but try to keep her inside for most of the day. That way, she will begin craving her habitat outside at the zoo. Thank you for doing this!” 

“It is my honor,” I beamed, petting KoKo. My mother sighed, seriously questioning her own sanity. 

Soon after Hannah left, I led KoKo up the stairs slowly. Her legs powered up each step, surprising for the weak and emaciated state that she was in. When I got KoKo into my room, placing my largest and fluffiest blanket on the floor for her to lay on, I lugged all of her food bags into my room. I sprawled them all over the floor of my closet, which is where KoKo would be staying for the next two days. 

The first day that I had KoKo, she spent most of the day eating her food, catching up on all of the nutrition that she had missed. I spent the day in my room with her, stroking her beautiful fur while she placed her head and hooves in my arms. 

The second day that I had KoKo, however, she seemed eager to get back to the Zoo. When I tried to pet her, she reluctantly allowed me to, but she was no longer moving her neck towards me and embracing me. She continued to eat, but she kept walking towards the small window in my closet, almost as if she were searching for the zoo. Even though I still technically had until the night with KoKo, I knew that it was time to call Hannah. 

“Hannah,” I said, fighting back tears, “it’s time for you to come get KoKo.” 

As I led KoKo down the stairs, she began to hiss and kick at me. Still, I felt immense love for KoKo. I was proud of her for eating again, and I knew that she would be able to thrive at the zoo. 

“Goodbye, KoKo,” I said as Hannah led her out the front door. This time the tears did spill out, even though Hannah reassured me that I could come see KoKo anytime at the zoo. My mom hugged me.

“I’m proud of you,” she whispered. “You’re the best giraffe mother I know!” I couldn’t help but laugh.  

Every once in a while, I go to the zoo to visit KoKo. Although she never runs to greet me anymore, I am always happy to see her frolicking with her siblings in the grassland area. I am forever grateful for our friendship, even though it had an abrupt ending, and I will always care about KoKo. And, let the records show that, I had a pet giraffe for two whole days!