Baby Giraffe
LOCATIONS
PERTH
May 2023 - August 2023
WA Museum, Perth Cultural Centre, Perth WA 6000
Visit the sculpture, click for map >
> VISIT THE EXHIBITION WEBSITE
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August 2023 - Permanent Exhibition
Perth Zoo, 20 Labouchere Rd, South Perth WA 6151
Visit the sculpture, click for map >
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August 2023 - Permanent Exhibition
Melbourne Zoo, Elliott Ave, Parkville VIC 3052
Visit the sculpture, click for map >
CLICK HERE TO DONATE DIRECTLY TO WWF AUSTRALIA
TITLE
Wild Baby Giraffe
GENDER
Male
AGE
3 weeks
FOUND
Africa
CONSERVATION STATUS
Vulnerable
It was a bit of a shock when this beautiful boy fell to earth, it was quite a drop! At three weeks old he prefers to stay close to the ground, using the tall grass of his African savanna home to stay hidden from predators. He is entirely reliant on his mother who protects him by kicking away any predators and nursing him the milk he needs to keep growing big and strong. Soon, he will be the tallest animal in the world, but his amazing height won’t give back all the space he would have once been able to roam. All he can do is watch and hope that the humans will stop taking more.
As the tallest living animal in the world, the giraffe towers over the savannas of Africa. It’s good that they do because a group of giraffes is aptly named a tower! These groups usually are of 10-20 members who can come and go as they please. They move around, searching for mimosa and acacia trees where they get their food, spending only 20 minutes each day sleeping. The spotty pattern on their coat is unique to each animal, just like our fingerprints.
Giraffes give birth standing up, a bit of a heart-wrenching thought when you think how far the newborn baby will have to fall, a whopping 5 feet! These hardy babies are even more impressive in that they can stand after half an hour and even run 10 hours after they are born. The newborns are very vulnerable to predators and spend the first few weeks hiding. If a predator approaches, the mother will stand over her calf and kick the threat away with her long legs. Mothers and calves travel with other mothers and calves in nursing herds, keeping each other safe as a group. Occasionally a mother may want to leave to forage or drink away from the herd, leaving her baby in the care of another female, this is called a calving pool. If a threat appears the responsible female will alert her own calf, the other babies will catch on and follow.
It wasn’t until quite recently that it was discovered that giraffes can be separated into different species. In 2016 a study claimed that there are four; southern giraffe (which has two subspecies), northern giraffe (which has three subspecies), reticulated giraffe, and Masai giraffe. The study claimed that the species did not interbreed and had not for 1-2 million years.
As a whole, the giraffe is listed as vulnerable but the Masai and reticulated species are endangered. Their biggest threats are habitat loss and being killed for bushmeat. As agriculture moves into the savannas and the need for firewood increases in those areas, they lose their land and also their favourite acacia trees, making it harder for them to find food. Their tail is also used for good-luck bracelets, fly whisks and thread.
HOW TO HELP
Based off real animals that Gillie and Marc met while travelling, the public will be able to meet individual animals.
Through public art, more people will come into contact with these sculptures, will stop and consider them, will take a photograph, and will discuss this with their friends and family. With this increased exposure, the message of love, family, and conservation will be spread much further than any piece of art in a gallery ever could. It will bring people into close contact and will help them to fall in love, and with love comes a greater urge to want to create a change and save all endangered animals.
The sculpture will be aligned with the hashtags #LoveTheLast and #wildaboutbabies to raise unparalleled awareness about the sculpture’s cause across the globe.
To help protect these babies you can adopt them and help them via the WWF: > Click here: www.wwf.org.au
If you are interested in buying Wild About Babies related art, you will also be directly helping real babies in the wild with 30% going to WWF to continue their fantastic work for animals conservation: Click here to browse art > https://gillieandmarc.com/collections/wild-about-babies
ABOUT GILLIE AND MARC
Gillie and Marc’s highly coveted public artworks can be found worldwide including in New York, London, Singapore, Shanghai, and Sydney. They are Archibald Prize finalists, won the Chianciano Biennale in Italy, took out the Allens People’s Choice Award in 2016 and 2018 and Kids’ Choice Award in the 2016 Sculpture by the Sea and received the Bayside Arts Festival People's Choice Award in 2019 in Sydney.
The husband-and-wife duo are on a mission to make art for a better tomorrow. They are best known for their beloved characters, Rabbitwoman and Dogman, who tell the autobiographical tale of two opposites coming together as best friends and soul mates.
Gillie and Marc are also passionate eco-warriors and have dedicated their lives to protecting nature.
Gillie grew up with the wildlife in Zambia and Marc studied chimpanzees in Tanzania as a young man. Over time, the artists developed a deep appreciation for all living things and a desire to preserve the magnificence of the natural world.
Through their art, Gillie and Marc aim to transform passive audiences into passionate advocates for animal conservation. Their mission is to use their work as a platform to continue spreading awareness about endangerment, which will ultimately lead to change and save species from extinction.
Their art has raised hundreds of thousands in donations for the many wildlife charities and causes they support through their project Love The Last.
Please follow @gillieandmarcart