Giraffes on the Ark
We were enchanted by the documentary called The Woman Who Loves Giraffes, the story of Dr. Anne Innis Dagg, who went to Africa as a young woman to study these remarkable creatures. It was 1956 and she was only 23, but she figured out how to get there on her own, having convinced a rancher to allow her to study giraffes on his property. She was the first person to do scientific field studies of giraffes and she faced plenty of obstacles in male-dominated academia. When she returned to Canada she was thwarted in seeking tenure at universities but she continued to do important work with mammal species in this country and she founded a small press for publications.
A Young Anne Innis
After we had watched this excellent film we wondered why Anne Dagg wasn't celebrated as a Canadian hero and why she hadn't received the Order of Canada. Well, that oversight has been rectified with the list of those receiving the honour in 2019.
It seems to me that we need to hear more about those who demonstrate courage and determination in understanding and protecting our non-human neighbours. We interpret Jesus' direction to love our neighbour as extending beyond the circle of comfort, as the parable of the Good Samaritan certainly does.
Surely our neighbours include other creatures, including the improbable and magnfiicent giraffe, which is nearly always included in whimsical paintings of Noah's Ark .Now, more than ever we need to respect giraffes and other species which are under threat.
Thank you, Anne Innis Dagg,.for your foresight and perseverence .
https://thewomanwholovesgiraffes.com/
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