MOVING THE GIRAFFE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 September 1938, Page 7

MOVING THE GIRAFFE

DIFFICULTIES OF TRANSPORT. Difficulties connected with the moving of George the giraffe from Clifton Zoo to his new home in Scotland had their first parallel in France in the early days of last century when the first giraffe was presented to Charles X, in 1827. Gift of an Eastern ruler, the giraffe duly arrived at Marseilles, and then difficulties arose how to get it to Paris, or rather to St Cloud, where the court was waiting for it. After abandoning projects to convey it in a specially constructed cart, those in charge decided that the animal must walk the 500 miles. The journey took a month. On the day the animal set forth from Marseilles it was accompanied by thousands of citizens, who marched with it as far as Salon, where it was handed over to another band of enthusiasts, and so on all the way to the capital. A company of soldiers went along with it as escort, with a herd of goats to supply its daily ration of milk. Peasants from miles each side of the route tramped through the night to get a sight of the strange beast, and at numerous stopping places the event was celebrated by a “vin d’honneur” and speeches by the mayors and officials. Along the Paris-Marseilles road the tourist will see many a “Cafe a la Giraffe,” souvenir of the day when the first giraffe seen in France made its way to the capital. After arriving at Paris and being presented to the King, the animal found a home in the Jardin des Plantes, the Paris zoo.