Neck and neck: Male giraffes fight for female

By Bunmi Adigun @Bunmi_Adigun

THESE super heavyweights bring a new meaning to the term ‘head banger’ after they were filmed fighting by an eagle eyed game ranger

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Videographer / director: Rob The Ranger
Producer: Bunmi Adigun, Nick Johnson
Editor: Jack Stevens

The two male giraffes were filmed by park anger, Rob Vamplew, 39, while out on safari

The fully grown male giraffes were snapped by field guide and YouTuber, Rob Vamplew, 39, during a safari at Idube Game Reserve, South Africa.

Known to be relatively docile animals, the pair demonstrate the strength and power that these majestic creatures possess.

Both the males were fighting for mating rights in the area after picking up the scent of a female

The young males battled it out to exert dominance which would guarantee them mating rights in the area.

Rob Vamplew said: “Battles like this can lead to serious injury and death. It was breathtaking to see such usually peaceful creatures in such a situation.”

Male giraffes can weigh up to 3000lbs and grow up to 18ft in length

He added: “It is an amazing thing to see a serious fight like this, we often see sparring between males as practice but this was not such a fight.”

A male giraffe can weigh up to 3000lbs and reach a dizzying height of 18 feet, and fights between males often end in death.

Typically docile animals it's quite rare to see giraffes act aggressively to one another

Rob said: “The fight was a dominance battle between two males that had picked up on the scent of an oestrus female. The winner of such a battle usually goes on to mate with the female.

"I didn't see a female anywhere close by and it is not uncommon for other males to sneak in to mate whilst a fight is happening elsewhere.”

The number of giraffes in the wild has been declining in recent years

Despite the aggression displayed by both of the males, the scuffle was more a case of hand bags at dawn as the pair seemed to have lost track of the female.

An experienced park ranger, Rob has been in the industry for almost two decades giving him a wealth of knowledge on animals in the African bush.

The fight ended fairly quickly as the pair realised the female was no where in sight

His love for wildlife started at an early age as he grew up around a variety of animals in rural South Africa.

He added: “My family had a farm in a wild area and I have been visiting the national parks since I was a baby. Africa's wild areas are addictive.”

In his time as a ranger Rob has been saddened to see the decline of some of his favourite animals, particularly giraffes who don’t get the same attention as other animals.

Rob said: “Giraffe numbers are declining in the wild. Some call it a silent extinction as they are not as high profile as other threatened African wildlife.”