Glenmorangie has long celebrated the giraffe as a symbol of its distillery.
With its extraordinary height, the animal illustrates the stature of the single malt whisky’s towering stills. The Highland distillery is now demonstrating its commitment to this endangered animal by forging a global conservation partnership to help safeguard its future.
Glenmorangie’s affinity with the giraffe begins with its towering copper stills in which it creates its lighter spirit, with more space for taste and aroma. The tallest in Scotland, these stills have necks the same height as an adult male giraffe.
But although the giraffe’s silhouette is known and loved at Glenmorangie, as it is across the world, few are aware of the threat it faces in the wild.
Numbers have fallen by 30% in 30 years, with some types of giraffe now critically endangered. With the giraffe’s decline going largely unnoticed, a BBC/PBS documentary on the work of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) and its partners, narrated by Sir David Attenborough has warned of a ‘silent extinction’.
In a concerted effort to aid the giraffe, Glenmorangie is pioneering a three-year partnership with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS). This two-pronged approach will support efforts to protect giraffes in the wild in Africa and provide a habitat for the animal at Edinburgh Zoo, which will play a vital role in their conservation.
A Nubian giraffe, in , Uganda (Photo: Giraffe Conservation Fund)
Under the partnership Glenmorangie will:
· Enable GCF’s work in Africa, with a focus on Uganda. GCF is the world’s only organisation concentrating solely on the conservation and management of giraffes in the wild throughout Africa. They are committed to securing a future for all giraffe populations in the wild.
· Support RZSS in creating a giraffe habitat at Edinburgh Zoo. Opening in the summer of 2020, this specially-designed habitat will help aid conservation in the wild through genetic research to support GCF’s translocation efforts, and raise visitors’ awareness of the threats facing the species.
Thomas Moradpour, president and chief executive of the Glenmorangie Company, said: ‘For 175 years we have created whisky, in stills as high as an adult giraffe, the tallest in Scotland. Over time, this majestic animal has become a beloved symbol our brand.
‘It seems only right that we should channel our passion for this animal into our new global conservation partnership with GCF and RZSS. Together, we will work to protect giraffes in the wild and shine a light on their predicament before it’s too late.”
For more information visit www.giraffeconservation.org.
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