The Girl Who Loved Giraffes and Became the World’s First Giraffologist

This beautifully illustrated book chronicles the daring ambition of Anne Innis Dagg to become a zoologist, and, in particular, to study the giraffes that had captured her imagination as a child at the zoo. Anne, born in 1933, entered her adult years in the 1950s, a time when she had to daringly defy societal conventions that didn’t accept women as scientists, expecting them instead to become homemakers. The story describes how Anne overcame all obstacles to get her biology degree and then make her own way to Africa to conduct first-hand observations of giraffes. She was the first person to study these animals in the wild.

Brief chapters are each set out on a double-spread background, those depicting the African habitat of the giraffe lending an authentic ambiance that explains its attraction for Anne. The short entries of text are supported by inserts of extra information to clarify details. For instance, young readers are reminded that there was no such thing as email in the 1950s. Consequently, letters such as Anne wrote to secure a place to work in Africa required many weeks for replies to arrive. Additional details of giraffe biology help readers to understand the depth of her research, e.g. how giraffe sleep, their individual markings, why they can eat thorny branches. With wonder aroused, readers can investigate further using books and other media listed at the back.

The Girl Who Loved Giraffes and Became the World’s First Giraffologist is a fast-paced story, sweeping through the significant events in Anne’s early life. It is rewarding to see how her subsequent research received high acclaim in presentations, teaching and writing. But Anne still met a brick wall of male resistance when she applied for a university professorship. Nevertheless, through the 1970s, Anne taught students how to research and write, all the while voicing strong activism for women’s rights. She teamed up with conservationists when it became clear that giraffes were endangered. The “Author’s Note” adds further details about the recognition Anne has received, mostly later in life—awards for her work on giraffes as well as for her passion to promote women in science, five books, a film, an honorary degree—and how she still advocates for women’s rights and supports giraffe conservation. A portion of this book’s royalties will go to that cause, dear to her heart, encouraging us all to protect the world’s wildlife for future generations.

Throughout the book, Anne’s curiosity, determination, courage and sense of purpose will leave the reader with admiration and a conviction that anything is possible, with visionaries like Anne to thank for the advancement of both women’s rights, and conservation.

This timely biography is a good one to add to books that focus on the precarious state of some of the world’s wildlife—giraffes being only one example—and habitats.