BVNA President, Wendy Nevins, is delighted to announce the association’s nominated charity of the year for 2017/2018.

“I have chosen the Giraffe Conservation Foundation for the BVNA Charity of year because I have always thought Giraffes were magnificent animals. Maybe I am slightly jealous of their height and elegance?

The Giraffe Conservation Foundation is dedicated to a sustainable future for all giraffe populations in the wild. Giraffe are already extinct in at least seven countries in Africa.

Here are a couple of interesting facts:

To protect the giraffe’s brain from sudden changes in blood pressure when it lowers its head to drink, it has valves to stop the back-flow of blood and elastic-walled vessels that dilate and constrict to manage flow. NASA has done research on the blood vessels in giraffe legs to get inspiration for human space suits.

A giraffe heart weighs approximately 11 kilograms and is the biggest of any land mammal. It is used to pump 60 litres of blood around its body every minute at a blood pressure twice that of an average human.

I also think it is important that we look at the wider issue of conservation and education across all species."

VOL 33 • January 2018 • Veterinary Nursing Journal