She blinked and opened her large dark eyes, seeing for the first time the lush green world into which she had been born. The smell of the dewy flora was delicious. She wrinkled up the velvety patch above her nose...then sneezed...and sneezed again! Her new world was worth exploring. Blinking through her thick black lashes the little giraffe could see and smell things that were a joy to her senses...a world to explore...a world that was hers! Instinct told her she must stand, but this was not as easy as she had hoped. First one leg, then the next... a third leg and then... THWACK...she crashed down beside her mother's feet. She felt her mother's reassuring nuzzle and a lick of her long dark tongue. She mustn't give up...there was a world to explore and a life to live!
CRACK!!!! What was that sound? CRACK! CRACK! The gun-shot of death echoed on her virgin ears. Fear seized both her mother and her. What was this world into which she had been born?
Giraffes are currently in danger of extinction. According to data provided by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the giraffe population has decreased 40% in the last three decades due to poaching, human conflict and habitat loss not unlike thousands of other species across our planet. The beautiful world we were meant to protect and nurture has become the one we are destroying.
Let's use our voice - we can make a difference!
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