MEET THE HERD
FACTBOX
Rothschild Giraffe
Maximum Height: 16ft tall
Weight: two tons
Life Span: 30 years
Total number in Kenya: around 300
Zoe loved that each giraffe has its own distinct personality and place in hotel life… The herd is named after influential people in the manor’s history…
As the 13 year-old leader, LYNN gets to be the greediest giraffe. But kind, reliable Lynn earns her keep - her babies have been successfully released into the wild.
Petite ARLENE is very people friendly, letting the guests hug her around the neck. She also lavishes affection on her son Barney.
JOCK is Barney’s Dad and was the bull of the herd before he died last July.He had 6 ‘wives’ and sired 20 calves, but is missed because he loved kissing humans…
DAISY II is the oldest female at 17 and not a regular visitor to the manor, preferring to defend the herd from afar.
Enormous LAURA is the giant of the herd at 14.
KELLY has beautiful manners with food but is the worst headbutting offender, while fellow teenager, PATRICK loves to run amuck with the warthogs.
DAISY III is the adorable, knock-kneed baby who already loves to be fed by hand.
Interacting with these characters quickly teaches you to see the difference in personality and appearance, and there are quite a few books on the subject in the library for those interested. Some of them are even made the manor giraffes famous, like “Raising Daisy Rothschild” and “Tall blondes.”
It goes without saying that kids will be dazzled, but the magical experience of a manor overrun with giraffes attracts adults as well; Zoe was the only child there…
The manor has changed hands, but not philosophy. The rare Rothschild style giraffes first welcomed by former Scottish owner, Jock are here to stay! The already informal, country house atmosphere is cheered up by the sheer novelty of meeting the herd up close as the giraffes crane their gigantic necks through windows and doors or lope around the garden. As the world’s tallest animals, they can even reach the upstairs bedroom windows, their huge eyes and lashes appearing when you least expect it.
Just beyond the perimeter of the hotel is bushland, now a safe haven where the giraffes live and breed. Luckily for guests, they also like to come back to the manor to go poking around for food or nuzzle with you. Marian was a regular kisser with her giraffes.
Our hands-on hostess let Zoe feed them pellets from a bowl - a thrill that you just can’t find anywhere else. Most people only get to see these prehistoric looking, gentle yet massive creatures in a zoo or at a distance in the wild. There are also quite a lot of warthogs trotting around the garden, picking up any pellets that have been left by the giraffes or rolling around in the dirt further afield.
Marian did a superb job of putting in the time with us, to teach us about the herd, talk about Africa and meet any needs we had. We felt quite privileged to stay here: visitors to this part of Africa have a real chance to experience the wild in a very eccentric way.
The manor is surrounded by wild bushland and forest. I followed a track that lead me to the main road, which then winds through very flat, isolated terrain.
There is plenty of other wildlife here though, with bushbucks; indigenous birds with charming names like the ‘white-bellied-go-away’ bird; brush cuckoos and plants used in traditional bush medicine. I loved pacing this ancient tribal ground; it was hard to believe I was on the outskirts of a city. But bustling Nairobi is surrounded by forests, savannahs and grasslands, and is even home to the biggest bird of all, the ostrich. The manor organizes guided walks through this landscape if you want to see it first hand but slow down the pace a bit.
Even though I am far less interested in global luxury shopping in ..
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