07 September 2004, 09:41
GatogordoWanted: Live giraffes in Texas
I am doing preliminary research on the possibility of having a few giraffes on my ranch. Frankly, so far the information available off the net has been less than helpful. The fact that a giraffe may have a 25 inch long tongue is interesting and no doubt would thrill a female giraffe 
but doesn't tell me how well they might acclimate to Texas winters. I'm interested in any ideas or possible contacts to explore this further.
I am in NE Texas, our winters are normally fairly mild and wet with the occasional front with a few days in the lower 20s or teens. However, 3 years ago we had 12 inches of snow on the ground that lasted nearly 2 weeks with low or single digits at night for at least a week. Just one more example of why I hate snow.
While supplemental feeding would be no problem, I suspect that herding giraffes into a barn (a high one )for shelter might be a real problem. They have them in the Tulsa Zoo, about 4 hours N of me, but obviously they have a lot of staff and a fairly high budget to care for their animals. If I can't do this on a relative shoestring, that is, if they require constant human supervision and care then I'll have to can this idea.
Any input or especially any ideas on where to obtain live giraffes or a contact with someone that has them and associated costs if I determine that they can survive here are greatly appreciated. Email me if you prefer it to be private.
