Guides and guests on a game-drive from Porini Rhino Camp in November 2019 were treated to this unusual spectacle of giraffes fighting. Renowned as “gentle giants”, giraffes are often docile and graceful, so it is fascinating to see this aggressive behaviour.
A giraffe fight usually involves two males wanting dominance over territory or the right to breed. They use their powerful necks to swing their heads (and horns) at the opponent, sometimes entwining necks. This is termed “necking”. Fights have been known to result in deep wounds, broken bones and even death, but more often than not one backs down before any serious injury.
Porini Rhino Camp is in Ol Pejeta Conservancy which is famous as a rhino sanctuary – and home to the World’s last two remaining Northern White Rhino – but other residents include the Big Cats and other iconic African species such as zebra, Cape buffalo and giraffe.
Find out more: Porini Rhino Camp
