Happy Birthday to the World’s First Giraffologist!

On the eve of Anne Innis Dagg’s 90th birthday, I challenged myself to sum up her life in 90 words.

1930s
A Canadian girl sees her first giraffe and falls in love.

1940s
She begins to dream of studying giraffes in Africa.

1950s
She does it.

1960s
She writes a book and gives university lectures about them while raising her children.

1970s
Universities deny her (a married woman) tenure.

1980-2000s
She becomes a feminist activist.

2010s
Giraffologists invite her to a conference. A documentary film is made about her.

2020s
Launched back into the world of giraffes, she works with partners in Africa to help wild giraffes survive and thrive.

I had the extraordinary privilege of meeting with Anne many times during the year leading up to the covid pandemic, and got to use as many words as were needed to tell her remarkable story in a book for children, which also includes fun facts about giraffes.

So, what better way to celebrate Anne’s 90th birthday — even if it is actually her 91st (time flies!) — than to:

• Purchase (online or locally) a copy of The Girl Who Loved Giraffes for a young (or not so young) giraffe-lover or feminist in your life! (A portion of royalties go to the Anne Innis Dagg Foundation through which her conservation work is done.)
• And visit Anne’s Facebook page and help fulfill her biggest birthday wish! (It’s probably not what you think!)