WATCH: Video Shows a Giraffe Bolting and a Child Flying Through the Air
What happens when a giraffe panics and bolts into a crowd of people? According to this video, the giraffe could run into a young girl and send her flying through the air before she hits the ground. Take a look:
The video, which appears to have been filmed at Ruvu JKT Wildlife in Tanzania, is yet another reminder that animals are not props to put on display for human “entertainment.” At similar tourist traps and captive-animal displays all over the world, injuries to animals and the public happen all the time.
Unaccredited Facilities and Roadside Zoos Put Everyone at Risk
Facilities that exploit animals are dangerous for everyone. Greedy owners often confine animals to unnatural enclosures where they have little to do but pace back and forth while visitors shout, snap photos, toss them inappropriate food, and attempt to touch them. In nature, giraffes wouldn’t choose to engage with humans—and as this video shows, they may panic and run out of distress. What if the girl had been crushed? What if others had been injured? The family in the video had to learn the hard way, but you don’t have to.
Don’t Fall for Pseudo “Sanctuaries” or Other Tourist Traps—Tips to Keep Yourself and Your Family Safe
Many roadside zoos and sham sanctuaries trick visitors into supporting cruelty. To protect yourself and your family—and to avoid fueling abuse—keep these red flags in mind:
- Hands-on interactions are a major warning sign. True sanctuaries never allow visitors to feed, pet, or pose for photos with wild animals. If a facility anywhere in the world sells selfies with tigers, bear cub feedings, or elephant rides, it is exploiting animals.
- Look at the enclosures. Small, barren cages or concrete pens that prevent animals from expressing natural behaviors are a clear sign of neglect and cruelty.
- Breeding is not rescue. Reputable sanctuaries don’t breed animals—they rescue them. If a facility has a constant supply of babies for visitors to hold or gawk at, it’s exploiting animals for profit, not protecting them.
Giraffes are gentle, social animals who thrive in their natural habitats, where they form close-knit groups and rely on one another for protection and companionship. They don’t want to be trapped at roadside zoos, where humans gawk at them or use them like sideshow attractions—they want to live freely with their families in nature.
What YOU Can Do
Never visit a roadside zoo or any other facility that exploits animals—period. Take action for animals suffering at roadside zoos today:
