I was about six years old when I saw my first giraffe while on safari in Kenya and it was love at first sight. I've been lucky enough to see most of Africa's big animals but the giraffe has remained a firm favorite.

I like giraffes because I'm a coward and quite frankly hippos, lions, elephants, crocodiles and buffalos scare me. Spend a good chunk of time in Africa and you'll be able to relate various stories of elephants charging, crocodiles snapping, hippos stomping and lions chomping on some unfortunate person.

Giraffes are also one of the most bizarre animals you'll ever see. They have blue tongues, little 5 inch knobs on their heads and (obviously) outrageously long necks. The giraffe neck contains special veins and blood valves to stop the giraffe from blacking out when it takes a drink. Perhaps this is why they can actually go without water for weeks at a time. Baby giraffes drop six feet to the ground when born but manage to stand up just five minutes later.

Because the giraffe is the tallest mammal on earth they are quite easy to spot from a car when driving around a wildlife park. This is satisfying for everyone on safari since viewing animals when the bush is thick or the grass tall, is no easy task. If you're out camping in the African bush you'll never be startled by a loud growling or grunting from a giraffe, they are very quiet indeed.

You can see giraffe throughout Eastern, Southern and Western Africa. For more information about the giraffe see:

• National Zoological Park
• African Wildlife Foundation