A lone giraffe has been spotted inside the Ngorongoro Crater by Tour Guides.
Well at least, the first to report the rare sighting of the tall mammal is Moody Kabongo the Driver-Guide for Shadows of Africa.
Kabongo also posted the initial picture of the giraffe standing in the crater.
This is the first time, in recent years, that a giraffe descends down onto the floor of the Unbroken Caldera.
Later, again more tour guides would capture photos of the same giraffe climbing up from the crater, possibly after realizing that the basin was not for it.
Normally Giraffe and Impala are the only species not present in the Ngorongoro Crater.
According to wildlife experts, this is possibly due to a lack of open woodland favoured by these species, especially acacia trees for the case of Giraffes.
In addition, the rather steep, crater walls have been preventing the tall mammals from climbing down the caldera embankments.
The rim of the crater is about 2,200 meters high and features its own distinct climate different from that of the crater basin and the surrounding highlands.
Ngorongoro Crater rim hangs at approximately 8,000 feet above sea level.
The Caldera’s floor, on the other hand, lies between 1,200 and 1,600 feet below.
The crater is home to over 30,000 wild animals with permanent residency status. Missing from this figure is the Giraffe, Impala and Crocodile.
The area inside the Crater is a self-contained ecosystem.
Ngorongoro Crater basin supports the highest concentration of lions in Africa. There are more than 100 such panthers that can easily be spotted in suitable conditions.
The most populous animal in the Caldera is however the spotted hyena. It is being estimated that there are over 500 such carnivores combing the crater floor.
As recently documented, the Ngorongoro Crater is also some sort of a retirement ground for old elephant bulls that usually carry oversized tusks of unbelievable dimensions.
Such Veteran Jumbos usually patronize the Lerai Forest and the nearby Gorigor Swamps. It is reported that there are 70 male tuskers moving around the patch at any given time.
Female jumbos and family herds do pass through the caldera from time to time as they traverse the Conservation area.
The giraffe in the crater adds to the series of stange wildlife occurences that have recently been reported in East African Region.
Others include the rare appearances of white Buffaloes and Twin Elephants in Tarangire National Park, White Zebra in Ngorongoro and giraffe twins in Kenya.
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