Will they miss us when they're gone?

One unexpected highlight of going to the light show at the Living Desert was a chance to see the animals at night. What a treat! My favourites were the first stop of course. And there they were. All the bald little wrinkled, and toothy creatures jumbled up and sleeping soundly. You can see the odd toothy face and a few little fat fingers but lots of faces are buried under the snoring pink sausages. I will miss them! 

A midnight snack of sweet potato in reserve

The next surprise was the giraffes - all but one silently sitting in the dark. They were not asleep, just resting. Giraffes only sleep about 30 minutes a day and that is normally standing. The zoo attendant told us that occasionally then they bend their necks and rest their heads on their backs. Giraffes rarely sit in the wild - they are too vulnerable. Getting down and then later struggling to get up is a comedy of long legs, knees (actually ankles), necks and the bodies of fellow giraffes. While we stood there, the peaceful creatures held up their heavy heads and stared off in the distance. 

Well, other than Harold who took forever to figure out how to get himself down. He kept bending first one leg, then trying another, then standing quietly trying to regain his dignity. Kind of like me in the garden! 

Finally Harold made it down although one back leg still wasn't perfect. He'd subtly move it now and then but seemed unwilling to just grunt and shuffle and readjust like a human would do.