Movies and Books

Welcome to our selection of movies and books, where you can immerse yourself in the captivating world of giraffes through the lens of cinema or literature. With their towering grace, unique beauty, and gentle personalities, giraffes have long captured the imagination of storytellers and filmmakers alike, resulting in a rich diversity of movies and books that celebrate these majestic creatures.

From awe-inspiring documentaries that showcase the wonders of the African savannah to heartfelt novels that delve into the lives of giraffes and the people who dedicate themselves to their conservation, our suggestions offer something for every giraffe enthusiast. Whether you’re seeking educational documentaries, inspiring narratives, or captivating visuals, you’ll find a wealth of resources to deepen your understanding and appreciation of giraffes.

Saving Giraffes: The Long Journey Home

Saving Giraffes is a National Geographic film about how Save Giraffes Now, The Ruko Conservancy, Northern Rangelands Trust and the Kenya Wildlife Service rescued nine endangered Rothchild’s giraffe from a sinking island in Lake Baringo and reintroduced them to the mainland after they had been extinct in the region for 70 years. The film tells the incredible story of how the Ruko community – two tribes previously at war – came together in peace to save these giraffe, and create a 44,000 acre wildlife conservancy.

We are so excited to share this film and this amazing conservation success story with you! We hope you enjoy it and continue to support Save Giraffes NOW and our efforts on the frontlines across Africa to protect giraffe.

STREAM ON DISNEY+

Suggested Books and Movies

Giraffe Books

Recommended textbooks:
• The Giraffe: Biology, Ecology, Evolution, and Behaviour by Bryan Shorrocks
• Giraffe: Biology, Behaviour and Conservation by Anne Innis Dagg

Recommended book of photography:
• Giraffe Reflections by Dale Peterson and Karl Ammann

Recommended reading:

  • Zarafa: The Giraffe Who Walked to the King by Judith St. George
    Zarafa is a beautiful and gentle giraffe . . . so wonderful, in fact, that the ruler of Egypt offers her as a gift to the king of France!
  • West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
    An emotional, rousing novel inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the hearts of Depression-era America.
  • Tall Blondes by Lynn Sherr
    The days of the giraffe being overlooked and under-appreciated are over with the publishing of Tall Blondes, a one-of-a-kind book about a one-of-a-kind animal.
  • Happy Valley by Nicholas Best
    The definitive story of the British in Kenya, from the early explorer Joseph Thomson to the decadent Happy Valley set of the 1930s and the murder of Lord Erroll, to the Mau Mau revolt of the 1950s.
  • I Dreamed of Africa by Kuki Gallmann
    Kuki Gallmann’s haunting memoir of bringing up a family in Kenya in the 1970s, first with her husband Paulo, and then alone, is part celebration, part tragedy, and part love letter to the magical spirit of Africa.
  • Pursuing Giraffe by Ann Innis Dagg
    In the 1950s, Anne Innis Dagg was a young zoologist with a lifelong love of giraffes and a dream to study them in Africa. Based on her extensive journals and letters home, Pursuing Giraffe vividly chronicles Dagg’s realization of that dream and the year she spent studying and documenting giraffe behaviour.
  • Raising Daisy Rothschild by Jock and Betty Leslie-Melville
    Betty Leslie-Melville and her husband, Jock, raise a rare baby Rothschild giraffe named Daisy at their African manor, and as Daisy grows and thrives, she changes her owners’ lives.
  • On a Kenya Ranch by Lavinia Grant
    This book tells a story in words, drawings and paintings of everyday life on a Kenya ranch. It tells of the author’s home, family life, and the lives of those who work on the ranch.

Recommended for children:

  • A Giraffe and a Half by Shel Silverstein
    Join this giraffe on a rollicking and ridiculous journey that will charm readers from beginning to end.
  • The Story of Little Laffe by Ronna Kurash
    This is a children’s book with colorful illustrations about a giraffe different from the other giraffes. It is about bullying and teaches kindness and good values.
  • Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees
    Giraffes Can’t Dance is a touching tale of Gerald the giraffe, who wants nothing more than to dance.
  • Save the…Giraffes by Anita Sanchezles Andreae
    Perfect for all animal lovers—and giraffe fans in particular—this book is filled with many facts you need to know to become a giraffe expert!
  • 5 Giraffes by Anne Innis Dagg
    Accompanying the five giraffe profiles in this book is information on their diets, social life, and some of their more unique aspects.
  • Daisy Rothschild: The Giraffe That Lives with Me by Betty Leslie-Melville
    This is the story of Daisy Rothschild, a brave young girl who befriends a giraffe that comes to live with her. The book is filled with 48 pages of captivating illustrations and an engaging storyline that will captivate readers of all ages.

Movies and Documentaries

  • Saving Giraffes: The Long Journey Home
    Former warring communities of Kenya’s Rift Valley join forces to rescue a herd of rare giraffe stranded on an island by unprecedented flooding.
  • The Last Giraffe
    An American wildlife photographer and her husband, a safari guide in Kenya, set out to save an endangered giraffe after its mother had been killed by poachers.
  • The White Giraffe Movie
    This story centers on a young heroine who is transplanted from England to a wildlife preserve in South Africa to live with a grandmother she never knew. After she arrives, she discovers a mythical white giraffe and tries to unlock the mystery of why everyone is keeping the giraffe a secret.
  • National Geographic — Welcoming a New Giraffe: Secrets of the Zoo
    The North Carolina Zoo welcomes a two-year old giraffe to her new home.
  • Animals Are Beautiful People
    This is a 1974 South African nature documentary about the wildlife in Southern Africa filmed in the Namib Desert, the Kalahari Desert, and at the Okavango River and Okavango Delta.
  • The Woman Who Loves Giraffes
    A profile of giraffe researcher Anne Dagg who, in 1956, became one of the first people to ever observe and report on giraffe behaviour.
  • Hatari!
    A group of men, including John Wayne, trap wild animals in Africa and sell them to zoos before the arrival of a female wildlife photographer threatens to change their ways.

Children’s Movies

  • Zarafa
    A bold ten-year-old Sudanese boy befriends a young giraffe and a kind Bedouin, who takes them on a splendid journey via a hot-air balloon.
  • My Giraffe
    Patterson Pepps’ best friend is Raf, a giraffe. Raf and Patterson were born on the same day and grow up together as Patterson lives next to the zoo.
  • Madagascar
    A group of animals, including Melvin the giraffe, who have spent all their life in a New York zoo end up in the jungles of Madagascar and must adjust to living in the wild.
  • The Wild
    Adolescent Lion, Giraffe, and Anaconda are accidentally shipped from the New York Zoo to Africa. Now running free, his zoo pals must put aside their differences to help bring him back.
  • Animals United
    A meerkat named Billy, a lion named Socrates, a giraffe named Gisella and an elephant named Angie who go on an epic quest to discover why their river has unexpectedly dried up. It is based on the 1949 book The Animals’ Conference by Erich Kästner and Walter Trier.
  • Thomas and Friends: Curios Cargo
    Thomas meets a tall challenge while taking a giraffe to the animal park.