Giraffe About Town: Vibrant orange giraffe joins city skyline, looking over Edinburgh from Calton Hill

Edinburgh Zoo’s Giraffe About Town project continues to wow Edinburgh residents as the herd of eight-foot tall majestic mammals emerged onto the city streets last week.
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The unique art trail, that runs until August 29, sees 42 giant giraffe sculptures decorate Edinburgh’s city centre to raise funds for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS).

The project also encourages people of Edinburgh to get out and about and rekindle their love for the capital by trying to spot all the colourful creatures around the city’s famous landmarks.

Stand Tall for Giraffes celebrates wild giraffes in Uganda. The orange colour represents beautiful Ugandan sunsets and the patterns on the ossicones and tail are adapted from authentic Ugandan fabrics, reflecting the vibrant colours of the country.Stand Tall for Giraffes celebrates wild giraffes in Uganda. The orange colour represents beautiful Ugandan sunsets and the patterns on the ossicones and tail are adapted from authentic Ugandan fabrics, reflecting the vibrant colours of the country.
Stand Tall for Giraffes celebrates wild giraffes in Uganda. The orange colour represents beautiful Ugandan sunsets and the patterns on the ossicones and tail are adapted from authentic Ugandan fabrics, reflecting the vibrant colours of the country.
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David Field, RZSS chief executive, said: “Giraffe About Town will help local people and tourists fall in love with Scotland’s capital all over again by encouraging them to get out about town and explore these beautiful sculptures, while at the same time supporting the recovery of our wildlife conservation charity.”

Following a five-month closure of Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park, the charity lost over £1.5 million owing to Covid-19 restrictions.

To help with RZSS recovery efforts, the project will culminate in a farewell weekend in September at Edinburgh Zoo where the charming giraffes will be auctioned off to raise much needed funds wildlife conservation.

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Loïs Cordelia is a community artist, speed-painter and tutor, based in Ipswich.Loïs Cordelia is a community artist, speed-painter and tutor, based in Ipswich.
Loïs Cordelia is a community artist, speed-painter and tutor, based in Ipswich.

For the next month we will introduce you these impressive creatures, their story and where you can spot them.

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Today, we feature Stand Tall For Giraffes, which assumes a fitting location at one of the city’s highest points, and can be found at the top of Calton Hill.

Design by Loïs Cordelia, Stand Tall for Giraffes celebrates giraffes in the wild in Uganda. The orange colour represents beautiful Ugandan sunsets and the patterns on the ossicones and tail are adapted from authentic Ugandan fabrics, reflecting the vibrant colours of the country.

Loïs is a community artist, speed-painter and tutor, based in Ipswich, who studied Arabic at the University of Edinburgh. Before the pandemic, she used to create most of her artwork live in public. Since lockdown, she has focused instead on presenting art demonstrations and tutorials via her YouTube channel.

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Sponsored by Glenmorangie, the whisky makers previously forged a pioneering partnership with Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) and the RZSS to safeguard wild giraffes in Africa and provide a habitat for the animal at Edinburgh Zoo.

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