Animals from Africa
Africa used to be called the Dark Continent because so much of it remained mysterious to Europeans. Many strange and wonderful animals came out of Africa to be paraded in the zoological gardens of Europe. The first giraffe in London created an uproar with many people refusing to believe that such an animal could exist, despite the evidence of their own eyes.
Modern anthropologists believe that humans first evolved in Africa, so at a very basic level we are kin to the wonderful diversity of large mammals that used to roam the interior. Tragically, human population pressure and poorly controlled commercial exploitation have led to the extinction of many African animals and many others are
still coming under increasing threat.
This is where places like Orana Wildlife Park can play a vital role by breeding endangered species and preserving the diversity of the gene pool.
