A view of life from a high position

A view of life from a high position

Life was good. I had just received our group's recognition as their leader. It was a responsible position. I had to make sure we enjoyed the four essentials of the group’s existence. Food, water, safety and fertile space to roam. Safety was a concern but we lived in a protected area from humans that enjoyed killing either to show us as a trophy or just for the pleasure of the hunt. Sometimes they find value in our skins, not surprising as it was one of our great prides. We were blessed as the savannah and woody plains where we lived is a controlled district territory. This protects us from human monsters because when they hunt they have guns from which we lack any defense; but to run. The chance of being hit by a bullet is extremely high. Whereas the animals on the savannah are not very threatening to our safety. Occasionally the loins and leopards attack us. But provided we stayed together they soon lost interest. We have to be very careful of our children as they are food to a few more animals, such as wild dogs. We do have two strong defense weapons, our hoof feet capable of landing a vicious and forceful kick and our strong neck and head that can also strike a serious blow. Dear reader, by now you are, no doubt, wondering what animal species we are. The giraffe.

Most animals are carnivores that require daily hunting for food. We our not and have the luxury of eating most of the time from leaves and berries found in the branches situated high up from the ground. The animals hunting on the savannah is a daily battle field of cruelty and savagery. If an animal escapes an attack with life threatening wounds their chances of survival are practically nonexistent. Although we all live together in this vast land protected from the bullets of humans it is only the strong, healthy and cautious that survive. Watching from my high position I am always impressed that in the animal world, from an early age, the children have to be diligently taught survival techniques. Sharing the water holes is always a problem. This requires a knowledge of the land and the habits of certain predators.This instinct to fight for food, water and space is deeply embedded in our daily lives.The behavior of fighting is also seen in the act of finding a mate to have children with.

Unknown to me while I shepherded my herd across the Savannah, letters were being exchanged between a town situated in the south of England and the guardians of our protected area. It appears the town in question had found enough money to establish a small zoo. It had been voted for by the local residents. A list of wild animals suitable for their zoo had been established.They were now in the market to acquire these animals. We knew by instinct that at certain times these wild animal protected areas were prepared to capture and sell a selection of the animals living on the savannah. The reason being to keep these protected areas healthy it was necessary to maintain a balance of species and not let any one or several species dominate the domain. The keepers of these areas had learnt by experience that natural depletion was insufficient.

One morning just as the sun was rising over the Savannah our herd was surrounded by a group of humans that fired arrows into six of us, including me, one other male and two females and two young giraffes. We fell to the ground immediately. I woke up with my head hurting. I found myself imprisoned in a large cage with the five other giraffes. Captured and imprisoned by the humans for their pleasure. No bullets, but an uncertain future life. The next month was a painful and stressful time. No space, incessant heat (although there was a crude cooling system) and limited food and water. Our little group of giraffes found ourselves in the hold of a large cago ship with other caged animals. The stink and noise was something dreadful. The movement of the ship was nauseating. Not having room to exercise our muscles became painful. I might have preferred the bullet. Then one day we were lifted into the air and dumped on dry land. At last we were in the fresh air and could feel the sun on our backs, but this feelings did not replace our dreams of the vast land and skies of the savannah. During our voyage I often thought about the herd and who had replaced me as their guardian.

Once on dry land we were driven to our future home which represented another large cage. This time we have enough room to move about. There were stalls where we could find food and water. For the first few days we lay exhausted in our cage recovering from the ordeal of the voyage. Our keeper was kind to us. He even gave us names. I was Mr Big. I think he realized how his new environment had an effect on us. The smell of humans was completely new to us. Their food, although acceptable, was not fresh, their water had a strange taste.

But one ritual that was agreeable was we were often cleaned with a hose to make sure we were always presentable to the public. After we recovered from our arduous journey we found our cage was connected to a large field with a small pond surrounded by several trees. This was shared with a selection of other animals. In the day time we were pushed out to the field. This is where we heard the clicking of cameras and the strange noises of glee from visitors to the zoo. It was a boring and soul destroying life. We were just prisoners for man’s pleasure. The only noteworthy event was that one of the female giraffes had a baby. Great excitement, many camera clicks.

Living, surrounded by humans in the small universe of our cage and the attached field, I did notice there were never any humans fighting over food and water; they seemed to have solved those problems. The other thing I observed was that they were very good at combining their individual force into a collective group to achieve the completion of a project. It was so alien to our way of living on the savannah in small groups with no inter connection between them. I thought this inter connection between humans must represent an amazing force. Also from my limited view of my surroundings I could see they lived in their tiny space in an orderly manner.

After a few years, facilities at the zoo deteriorated at an alarming rate. Our keeper left, we were seldom cleaned and the food became seriously rationed. There were only a few people coming to the zoo. We seldom heard camera clicks. Visitors were replaced by suited men that came to look at the animals. Many animals seem to just disappear. In front of our cage, in the space of a week, there were many arguments. We sensed the zoo was closing and our future was in peril as it appeared difficult to find a home for a small herd of giraffes. Finally we were loaded on the lorry and driven to the port. Back to the ship and the sea. This time conditions were even worse than a few years ago. In writing about this adventure it deeply saddened me. I can only leave you to imagine. Man had exploited these animals for their pleasure now they had no purpose. In our case it was commendable that they paid our passage home. We finally arrived on the savannah totally exhausted and nearly dead. The air and smell of our lands lifted our heads with an indescribable joy, but I would choose man’s bullet rather than repeat the adventure of being imprisoned in a zoo.

Man's dominance of the world is the true monster that strides over the lands in the destruction and savage disrespect for animals and nature.

David Nutt September 2025