Giraffes Stand Tall Even When They Are Alone; Murchison Falls National Park Uganda

Dubbed the Pearl of Africa, Uganda is host to a variety of wildlife that attracts tourists for Uganda safaris. Encountering them is quite interesting as it will leave everlasting you with beautiful memories after your safaris in Uganda. As part of the beautiful wildlife within the boundaries of this beautiful land are the Rothschild Giraffes, a clear depiction of this beauty. The Rothschild Giraffe is also known as the Nubian Giraffe, Baringo or Uganda Giraffe. This is the tallest of the land animals a tourist can sight on a Uganda wildlife safari.
Giraffes are the tallest mammal in Uganda’s National Parks and the world as well. There are different species of giraffes that exist in the world but Uganda is home the Rothschild giraffe species which measures up to about 5-6 meters high with an average weight of about 1200kg for the males and 850kgs for the females.
Did you know giraffe’s hearts beat twice the rate of human hearts? The heartbeats that fast because it has to pump blood up to their two and a half meters necks. Giraffes often live in savannah open grasslands surrounded with lots of acacia vegetation which they feed on. A giraffe consumes about 29kgs of foliage a day.

Giraffes are among the very few gentle and calm animals that you will sight during your Uganda wildlife safari tour in the Uganda National Parks that giraffes call home. Despite their gentleness, giraffes are so protective; they always protect themselves as well as their calves from predators in the wild. Towering over scattered acacia vegetation and all the creatures, the giraffes scan for danger over the horizon.
The Rothschild giraffes are native to Murchison Falls National Park and are categorized by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as endangered. There are about 2,500 Rothschild giraffes in the world. Murchison Falls National Park hosts 700 of them, according to Uganda Wild Life Authority 2012 census report, making the park home to 75% of the total world population of Rothschild giraffe species. Murchison Falls National Park is the only park in the world that hosts more than 75% of the world’s Rothschild giraffes also known as the Uganda giraffe. Besides Giraffes, Murchison Falls National Park is a gem of wildlife that hosts 76 species of mammals and 451 of birds.

Background of Murchison Falls National Park Uganda

Murchison Falls National Park is one of Uganda’s first national parks in 1952. This park lies within the country’s largest conservation area, Murchison Falls Conservation Area covering about 5,663 square kilometres. Murchison Falls Park is bisected by the River Nile, which plunges 45m over a 7meter narrow gorge creating the dramatic Murchison Falls after which the park is named. The river banks attract animals such as elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, hippos, Nile crocodiles and aquatic birds which you can encounter during your boat cruise safari in Uganda.

For bird lovers, just add this park to your Uganda birding safari destinations for its habits over 451 bird species. As part of your adventure, you will encounter birds like; the shoebill stork, the goliath heron (the largest heron in the world) and several pairs of elegant grey crowned cranes; Uganda’s national bird. During your Nile boat cruise tour in Uganda, you will sight the blue-headed coucal, swamp flycatcher, squacco heron, black-headed bonolek, bastern brey blantain-eater,African jacana, white-browed sparrow weaver, speckle-fronted weaver, sandpipers, denham’s bustard, Abyssinian ground-hornbill, black-billed barbet, biapiac, bilverbird, weaver birds, pied, giant and malachite kingfishers, red-throated bee-eater, and African quail-finch along the river banks.
The northern section of Murchison Falls National Park is dominated by savannah and borassus palms, acacia trees and riverine woodland while the south is dominated by woodland and forest patches. Most of the game viewing is done on the northern side, which is also home to the Rothschild giraffes. There are many attractions in the park but the Rothschild giraffe deserves special mention since it is native to the area.
Apart from giraffes the park hosts a variety of animals that include huge herds of buffaloes, elephants, leopards and lions. Other animals are Jackson’s hartebeest, bushbucks, Uganda kob, waterbucks and warthogs.

Beautiful Murchison Falls

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A boat cruise tour in Uganda to the bottom of the falls is one of the must-do activities in the park. During boat cruises on the Nile to the bottom of Murchison Falls, a variety of birds and hippos can be sighted. Most striking are the crocodiles. Along the way to the bottom of Murchison Falls, there is a spot called the “Crocodile bar” where crocodiles converge waiting for the unfortunate fish and other animals that accidentally step in the water at the top of the falls and get dragged down by the falls. The young, the old, the big and the small crocodiles all converge and wait for this manna from the river. Some lazily sleep while others open their jaws for hours. You cannot find such concentrated numbers of crocodiles anywhere else in Uganda than along the Nile in Murchison Falls National Park.
The other boat ride is to the delta through a wide, calm stretch of water to where the Victoria Nile flows into Lake Albert. This ride is good for birders to see goliath herons, great egrets, African fish eagles and the rare shoebill.

Where else can you easily spot giraffes in Uganda?

Kidepo Valley National Park Uganda

The Rothschild Giraffe conservation story of Murchison Falls National Park is a success and the population of Giraffes has been used to foster up the Rothschild Population of Kidepo Valley National Park. The park was originally restocked with Giraffes from Kenya and in recent times Giraffes from Murchison Falls Park were brought here. In Kidepo Valley National Park Uganda is a much smaller, about 50-Plus but thriving number of Rothschild Giraffes. This is one of the best savannah parks to go to on a Uganda tour because of the unique vast wilderness yet not only empty but filled with wildlife.
This is the second-best place in Uganda to see these gorgeous tall wildlife species. Kidepo Valley National Park is distant from Uganda’s capital, however, if you wish to visit the park in the shortest time possible, our popular 3 Days Uganda Wildlife Flying Safari to Kidepo is the perfect option.

Lake Mburo National Park Uganda

In Uganda, the Rothschild Giraffes can be seen on either short Uganda safaris or long Uganda tours to Lake Mburo National Park. 5 Rothschild Giraffes were taken from Murchison Falls Park and transferred to Lake Mburo National Park in order to restock the park with giraffes that were killed in the past times. The environment of Lake Mburo Park is suited for Rothschild Giraffes since there are many Acacia Trees for them to feed on. Our popular 2 Days Uganda Safari to Lake Mburo National Park or 3 Days Uganda Safari to Lake Mburo National Park offers an opportunity to see the Rothschild giraffe and much more wildlife. Lake Mburo National Park is now the only park in Western Uganda with Giraffes. Many Ugandan tourists that choose that route embed it in their Uganda safari tour itineraries especially the Uganda gorilla trekking safari to the further Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Other Parks in western Uganda include Queen Elizabeth National Park Uganda; famous for its amazing wildlife and tree climbing lions, Kibale National Park (The Primate capital of the world); mostly visited for Uganda chimpanzee trekking safaris, Semuliki National Park is the best destination for Uganda birding safari fanatics for it is home to unique bird species and the Rwenzori Mountains National Park famous for Uganda hiking safaris to the Margherita peak.
There are now about 20-plus Giraffes found in Lake Mburo National Park.

Uganda Wildlife safaris where you will easily spot giraffes in Uganda

Short Uganda safaris

Long Uganda safaris

Important facts you must know about the Rothschild Giraffe

The Rothschild Giraffes are differentiated from the other Giraffe species with the fact that they have white socks up to their knees, they have 5 horns on their heads, two of them are in the same place as other giraffes at the top of their head. The third horn is in the center of their forehead and the other two behind each ear. They are also different from other Giraffes in the colouring of the coat which consists of dark patches and then areas of creamy white through them. In fact, their markings are along the lines of that of a leopard and the markings on their coat are as unique as the human fingerprint.
The Rothschild Giraffe is the tallest Giraffe in the world and also the tallest land animal measuring up to 6 meters in height (20 feet) when fully matured, even a newborn giraffe stands at six feet (2m) tall! The Rothschild Giraffe literally stands head and shoulders high above all of the rest of the animals a tourist can see on a Uganda safari.
Surprisingly, though they are the world’s tallest land mammal their neck contains just seven vertebrae, exactly the same as a human.
They can weigh up to 2,800 pounds, with the males weighing more than the females by several hundred pounds.
Though they portray slow movement, Rothschild giraffes are actually fast animals that can reach top speeds of 35mph (56km/h) when running over open ground. For longer distances, the giraffe can sprint at about 10mph (16km).
They have one of the longest and most mobile tongues reaching an average length of 45.6cm which they use to strip the leaves and bark from trees on savannah plains. Its favourite food is the hideously spiky acacia
Rothschild Giraffes graze and have a series of special valves and a complicated network of elastic blood vessels in the neck, not only to prevent the animal from passing out when it bends down to drink or graze, but also to ensure that the blood is successfully pumped along its long neck to the brain.
An amazing one is that Giraffes can actually go for months without drinking liquid water; instead, they receive their water via the leaves such as from acacia trees that they eat especially from the top of the trees.
Rothschild Giraffes are thriving and growing in numbers in their Natural Environment.
Its winning style comes as a result of it moving both right legs simultaneously, followed by both left legs.

In Kenya, they have been reintroduced in several parks and wildlife reserves, therefore, if you are travelling to Kenya during your Africa safari tour, it is possible that you encounter then during your Kenya safari or Kenya wildlife safari game drive.
Are you interested in visiting other Africa safari destinations? Here is a summary of safari categories of Africa’s popular destinations;

Uganda safari categories	Rwanda safari Categories	Congo safari categories
· Uganda Gorilla safaris · Long Uganda safaris · Short Uganda safaris · Uganda Wildlife safaris · Uganda Chimpanzee Trekking Safaris · Days Tours in Uganda · Uganda Birding safaris · Uganda Fishing safaris · Uganda Hiking safaris · Cultural safaris in Uganda · Group safaris in Uganda · Adventure vacation holidays · Scheduled group safaris · Uganda Agricultural safaris · Luxury safaris in Uganda · Budget safaris in Uganda	· Rwanda Gorilla safaris · Rwanda Wildlife safaris · Rwanda birding safaris · Long Rwanda safaris · Short Rwanda safaris · Rwanda Self-Drive safaris · Adventure vacation holidays · Scheduled group safaris	· Congo gorilla safaris · Congo Wildlife safaris · Congo Hiking safaris · Short Congo safaris · Long Congo safaris
	Tanzania safari categories	Kenya safari categories
	· Tanzania Wildlife safaris · Long Tanzania Wildlife safaris · Short Tanzania Wildlife safaris	· Kenya Wildlife safaris · Short Kenya Wildlife safaris · Long Kenya Wildlife safaris
	Other Africa Safari Destinations
	South Africa safaris	Zimbabwe Safaris Tours
	Zambia Safaris Tours	Madagascar Safari Tours
	Namibia Safaris Tours	Ethiopia Safaris Tours
	Botswana Safaris Tours	Egypt Safaris Tours
Combined East Africa Safaris
· Uganda Rwanda safaris · Kenya Tanzania safaris	· Uganda Tanzania safaris · Rwanda Congo safaris	· Kenya Uganda Tanzania safaris · Uganda Rwanda Congo safaris

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