The giraffe is a tall African hoofed mammal. Its chief distinguishing characteristics are its extremely long neck and legs, its horn-like ossicones and its spotted coat patterns.

Its scattered range extends to savannahs and woodlands across the globe, from Chad in the north to South Africa in the south and from Niger in the west to Somalia in the east.  It is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as vulnerable to extinction and has been extirpated from many parts of its former range. Giraffes are still found in numerous national parks and game reserves, but estimates as of 2016 indicate there are approximately 97,500 in the wild. More than 1,600 were kept in zoos in 2010. 

Despite its long neck and legs, its body is relatively short. The skin is mostly gray or tan and each  giraffe has a unique coat pattern; usually it has dark blotches or patches, which can be orange, chestnut, brown or nearly black, surrounded by light hair, usually white or cream coloured. The tail ends in a long, dark tuft of hair. 

Due to its unique physical appearance, the giraffe has intrigued various ancient and modern cultures for a very long time. It has often been featured in paintings, books and cartoons where it is always represented as a kind, beautiful, elegant and peaceful animal, yet at the same time powerful and able to defend itself when necessary. 

Many children’s books in particular use the giraffe as the protagonist to make them feel good about themselves. It is common for children to feel uncomfortable if they are different from others; for example when a child doesn’t have uniform characteristics or is taller than others. The giraffe is the perfect animal to help them see that every creature out there is fantastic no matter the way they look.

Fully grown giraffes stand 4.3–5.7m tall, with males taller than females.  The average adult weight is 1,192kg for a male and 828kg for a female.

They’re a truly wonderful animal that is striking in size as well as beauty.  Their image is fascinating and captivating to all.  Filming the moving image as well as photographing stills is a breathtaking experience and enriches audiences worldwide.

We supply professional animal location handlers around the world to ensure you get all the shots you require and, as overseers to ensure the wild is not disturbed, the crew will always be safe and no welfare regulations are ever breached.

It isn’t just the animals that are well trained, our team including our handlers are also highly experienced and fully qualified experts in the field. 

Your handler will take full control of any animals on set and ensure the entire shoot runs properly. They will also fully manage the welfare of all the animals both on and off set; the safety and welfare of the animals is their prime concern.  All of our handling is strictly force-free and only positive, reward based practices are deployed. This way you can have total confidence that by booking With The Animal Talent everything is taken care of legally, professionally and ethically.

The Performing Animals Licence is no longer relevant (it was scrapped in 2019) and has been replaced with the Animal Activity Licence, which we hold.

Our giraffes are covered by a £10 million Public Liability Insurance policy. 

Handlers require a DWA licence under the DWA Act 1976 and therefore have strict legal obligations to follow.  Contact our expert agents to discuss arrangements.

If any species of animal listed under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act are required, special measures will need to be put into place for the shoot. Precisely what is appropriate will vary species to species, but may include sectioned off areas where only trained handlers are allowed.  A specifically built green screen studio can also be supplied if deemed necessary.