The Giraffe and the Oxpecker
Without bringing the animals into the home and heart of an audience, the disconnect between humans and the natural world will continue to deepen. Kevin Richardson
The 16’ dark coloured female giraffe stood motionless. her large brown eyes stared at us unblinking. We were so close I couldn’t fit her long tall body in the frame. It was impossible to know if we were the focus of her curiosity or if her mind was occupied in a far off dream state. Although the tallest animals on the planet only take 30 minutes a day to sleep, it can still be difficult for them to find uninterrupted nap time in the African Savannah.
I spotted a red billed oxpecker hopping about the giraffe’s head. The relentless harassment of the tiny little bird became the story of the moment.
Oxpeckers enjoy a symbiotic relationship with several large African mammals. In Sub-Saharan Africa you’ll find this red billed bird hitching rides on rhinos, Cape buffalo, giraffes and domestic cattle.
Oxpeckers feed primarily on blood-engorged ticks. This is a helpful partnership with their large herbivore hosts most of the time, however, oxpeckers can also irritate their companions by pecking at wounds and keeping them open so they can feed on blood directly.
Giraffes use their large white ears to communicate to other giraffes at a distance. In this case, the giraffe’s ears waved like a frantic sailor sending out semaphore signals of irritation.
The little oxpecker would not be deterred. Determined to scour every inch of the giraffe’s head for ticks it eliminated any hope of of a quiet siesta for the tall host.
When the giraffe managed to finally shake the pesky bird off the upper story, the oxpecker descended to the lower story calling in backup to join the blood thirsty attack.
Next on the scene came an anxious family of warthogs proving it’s impossible to find a minute of peace on the African savannah!
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