#SalvenABenito, the campaign of a group of activists to rescue a giraffe from the sun, snow and hail in Mexico
Benito, a 3-year-old male giraffe arrived in Ciudad Juárez a month ago and the weather is already beginning to be a problem for him adapting to his new and lonely home, and that for now he has only had to endure the scorching heat of summer.
The snow and low winter temperatures are still missing, and animal advocates have launched a campaign under the hashtag “#SalvenABenito” for the animal to be transferred to another, more habitable site.
In recent days, the 3-year-old male giraffe could be seen crouching under a small circular awning that gave it shade, in which only its head fits. The structure did little to protect it from torrential rain and a subsequent hail storm.
There's also a small shed for the winter, but activists said it's cruel for city-run Central Park to keep the giraffe in a small fenced-in enclosure, alone, on just over half an acre for wander and few trees to nibble on, in a climate to which she is not accustomed.
“We've been fighting for a month now. A group of animalists demanding that it be taken to a sanctuary, to a zoo, where at least the facilities and qualified personnel are indicated for the care of an animal of this type,” commented Ana Félix, defender of animal rights from Ciudad juarez. “Here we are in the desert and the weather is extreme, both in winter and in summer.”
Blue Hills, a Texas sanctuary that rescues animals and offers private tours to help defray costs, has offered to purchase or adopt Benito.
“We can offer you a brand new heated barn so you won't freeze in the winter,” wrote ranch owner Matt Lieberman.. “We have a staff vet who takes care of our animals and we have 24-hour staff for him.”
He added that the giraffe would have 320 acres (129 hectares) to roam. “There are no trees in the park in Mexico,” Lieberman said.. “He needs trees to eat and stay stimulated.”
Benito seems to have wiped out the only small trees within his reach in Ciudad Juárez Central Park, and he can't do much more than walk in circles.
A group of children visit Benito the giraffe in Central Park. ChavezAP
Park employees rejected the criticism, although they acknowledged that they cannot plant more trees.. They said they are working to improve Benito's compound, noting that his presence has been important in boosting the park's popularity among visitors, mostly children.. Monthly visits rose from about 140,000 before Benito's arrival to about 200,000.
One of the park visitors, 11-year-old Derek Reyes, had mixed feelings about Benito.. “He might be fine here,” the little one commented, “but it might also be good to be taken where he belongs, with a pack.”
Park director Rogelio Muñoz said authorities plan to build Benito a new heated winter enclosure.
The park is also building a larger canopy to shade the sun, and dredging trash and fetid water from a pond that takes up much of the park.. Benito will have fresh water in a trough.
“The conditions, additions and care in the habitat of the new inhabitant of the park” are “optimal for their stay,” the park wrote in a message posted on social networks.
Benito was donated by a zoo in the state of Sinaloa, on the Mexican Pacific coast, an area with a much more temperate climate.. Benito, who was rescued, could not stay with two other giraffes at the Sinaloa zoo because they were a couple, and the male could become territorial and attack Benito.
The giraffe's arrival was a source of pride for Ciudad Juárez, a town bordering El Paso, Texas, best known for its hundreds of factories and endemic gang violence.. El Paso has giraffes in its zoo, so why not Ciudad Juárez? “We want to be like El Paso,” Muñoz said.
Central Park, which has other species of animals such as ducks and donkeys, invited children from all over the city to visit the new giraffe. The Chihuahua state government sponsored a contest among elementary school students to name it.
The first place prize, about $500, went to a girl who proposed the name 'Benito'. One critic, Alfredo Casas, commented on Facebook: “With that money, better make a good shadow for the giraffe.”
The park had a giraffe named Modesto for 21 years. He passed away last year and activists said they don't want Modesto's experience, who was alone and sometimes got stuck in the snow and cold temperatures, to be repeated for Benito.
“When Modesto died, we thought that everything was over,” said Félix.. But “they bring us a new copy…. Well, it's not worth it, it's not worth repeating the story of Modesto.”
Muñoz acknowledged that Modesto's life was not the best. Children who used to visit the giraffe would feed it French fries.. But park employees have launched a campaign to teach children to bring Benito only lettuce and carrots.