A video that has gone massively viral on social media shows an inquisitive giraffe stopping a mountain biker for a sniff. Timmy Moser was mountain biking with his girlfriend at the Lion and Safari Park – a wildlife conservation enclosure situated close to Johannesburg in South Africa – when they came across a herd of seven giraffes.
“Two hours into the ride my girlfriend and I encountered a herd of seven giraffes,” Mr Moser told The Spuzz. “One was in the path and we stopped for nearly an hour watching her,” he mentioned.
At the instruction of park employees, Mr Moser and his girlfriend decided to attempt walking about the giraffe. However, the animal had other plans.
“She decided to come over for a sniff and a gentle investigation,” Mr Moser told The Spuzz. While sharing the video on Instagram, the photographer added that he was in “shock” at the size of the giraffe’s knees and kept attempting to back away “but he kept sniffing.”
Footage filmed on Mr Moser’s GoPro Max 360 shows the giraffe approaching him and bending down to sniff him gently.
Mr Moser’s encounter with the giraffe has gone viral on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. On Instagram, it racked up more than 10 million views just after it was shared by Earthpix, a common travel and wildlife web page.
Park employees identified the giraffe as Purdy, who generally comes out to greet park guests.
Giraffes are the tallest living terrestrial animals, identified only in Africa. Last year, an amusing video displaying how they consume grass had gone viral.