As one South African journalist put it on Twitter, this tale is worthy of Aesop. It starts on a South African highway on Thursday. A truck is transporting two giraffes and as you might imagine, it creates a great buzz among drivers.
Pabi Moloi, a well-known TV and radio host, snaps a picture that portends trouble:
Look how low that bridge is and how tall the giraffes are. Who thought this one through? I wish I hadn't seen this. pic.twitter.com/as2jJkIwpv
— Pabi Moloi (@PabiMoloi) July 31, 2014
The truck zooms through the underpass, and Moloi tells South Africa's ENCA-TV that she heard a loud thump — so loud that her cousin who was driving asked her if it was a gunshot.
Tragically, what happened is that one of the giraffes, which was blindfolded, smashed its head against the overpass.
As Agence France-Presse reports, The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is taking this incident seriously. It is launching an investigation and "may lay criminal charges against those involved in transporting the animals."
Rick Allan, of the organization, told AFP: "Our investigations so far showed that the transport used was inadequate and incorrect. There are lots of projectiles flying around on the highway (and) especially leaving an animal with its heard sticking out blindfolded, is looking for problems."
But back to Aesop. The lesson, wrote Gus Silber on Twitter: "Don't think laterally, think vertically."
This story reminds us of:
-- "'Star Rabbit' Dies When Photographer Takes Wrong Step"
-- "Copenhagen Zoo Euthanizes Giraffe Despite Online Protest"
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