WATERLOO -- A local zoologist and giraffe specialist has started an initiative in Waterloo Region in hopes of bringing awareness to protecting animals.
Spot the Giraffe currently stands 14 feet tall in a yard near Waterloo Park and is made entirely out of recycled material.
“I’ve had people stop, you can see them taking pictures, and they say things like this is cool, why did you make it?” said Ian Dagg.
The giraffe was, in fact, made the highlight the work of author and animal activist Anne Innis Dagg as she fights to protect giraffes in the wild.
She became the first person formally trained to study wild giraffes in South Africa in 1956.
“Well I fell in love because I met a giraffe for the first time in Chicago when I was four years old,” said Dagg. “I was then in Africa for a long time and I was with a group of about 95 giraffes.”
She’s also the star of the documentary ‘The Woman Who Loves Giraffes’ and has spent a lifetime educating people about their dwindling numbers in the wild.
“I thought you know what would be really cool? If we could actually show what a real giraffe looks like so people can understand how really tall they are,” said Mary Dagg, a board member of the Anne Innis Dagg Foundation.
Each dot on Spot represents a donation that goes towards a dog training program in Tanzania and Kenya to deter smuggling.
The foundation has also started a Junior Giraffe Club to inspire the next generation. They say the club began in January of 2021 with 20 members and has now grown to include 80 youths from Waterloo and around the world.
“There’s no other animal like them, they’re very unique,” said Rebecca Bordonali, a junior giraffe club member. “I just think they’re very interesting to learn about.”
Other junior members say they like giraffes for fun facts like how they’re vegetarian and that their tongues are pink and purple.
The foundation is hoping to raise $5,000 by the end of August.
