Spreading awareness on the decline of giraffes through a new documentary 'The Woman Who Loves Giraffes'

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The giraffe population is in decline and that's the reason San Francisco zoo curator, Amy Phelps spoke with ABC 7 Reporter Kris Reyes to highlight the importance of raising awareness of threatened giraffes through a new documentary titled 'The Woman Who Loves Giraffes.'

The documentary features one of the world's first and foremost giraffe scientist or "giraffologist", Dr. Ann Dagg.

At 23-years-old, the Canadian scientist traveled to Africa in 1953 to research and document the animal. Her work fell under the radar until Phelps brought her work to light in desperate hopes to raise the profile of giraffes.
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The giraffe subspecies population at the San Francisco zoo has declined by 85 percent in the last 10 years. While The giraffe population as a whole dropped 30 percent in the past 30 years.

Phelps mentioned that giraffes aren't usually the first threatened species that come to mind.

"The animals we hear about all the time that have conservation issues like elephants, there's actually six times as many elephants in the wild as giraffes."
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At the San Francisco Zoo, visitors are able to get up close and personal with the giraffes by feeding them. The act is intended to allow people to form a connection, which Amy Phelps hopes will lead to awareness, action and funding.



The Woman Who Loves Giraffes is screening in Berkeley tonight. For tickets: go here