Trail Off Tuesdays: The Giraffe That Walked to Paris

Long before viral internet sensations, one extraordinary animal captured the hearts and imaginations of an entire nation. When Muhammad Ali, the Ottoman governor of Egypt, sought to strengthen diplomatic ties with Europe in the 1820s, he chose a gift that would prove unforgettable: a young female giraffe from Sudan. For most Europeans, giraffes existed only in books and drawings, seeing one in the flesh was almost mythical.

The journey itself was as remarkable as the animal. First transported down the Nile on a barge with a hole cut in the deck for her towering neck, she traveled with cows that provided milk and dedicated caretakers who tended to her day and night. After reaching Alexandria, she made the perilous Mediterranean crossing to Marseille on the deck of a ship, sheltered only by canvas during storms. When she finally touched European soil in October 1826, crowds swarmed the port, marvelling at this gentle giant from another world.

Listen now to discover the full tale of the giraffe that walked to Paris and left an indelible mark on European history.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:17

Welcome back to Trail of Tuesdays, the little detour where we wander down the strangest paths of history. Today's story is about a giraffe, not just any giraffe, but the very first one to set foot in France. A giraffe who caused fashion trends, filled newspapers, inspired hairstyles and even managed to change the way people thought about natural world. This is the tale of the giraffe that walked to Paris. Our story begins in the early 1800s, when Muhammad Ali, the Ottoman governor of Egypt not the boxer was trying to strengthen his political ties with Europe. Diplomatic gifts were the usual approach, but this time he wanted to gift something different, something unforgettable, and so he chose a giraffe. At the time, very few Europeans had ever seen one. People had read about them in books or seen drawings, but the real thing was almost mythical. The chosen giraffe was a young female, about two years old, captured near Senar in Sudan, she was transported down the Nile on a barge with a hole cut in the deck so her long neck could poke through. Sharing the voyage were several cows whose milk would sustain her in the long journey, along with her caretakers. They tended to her needs day and night, and as the barge drifted on the river, villagers lined the bags. To marvel at the extraordinary sight, she eventually reached Alexandria, where preparations were made for the next stage of her journey. From there, she was loaded onto a ship bound for Marseille. Once again, she couldn't fit below deck, so for the entire voyage she remained on deck, sheltered from storms by a canvas canopy. The sailors doted on her carrying buckets of milk and carefully cushioning her footing. Whenever the seas grew rough, other ships that crossed their path slowed to stare in disbelief. A giraffe towering above the deck was a sight none of them had ever imagined.

Speaker 1: 3:27

After nearly a month at sea, the ship finally reached Marseille in late October 1826. Unsurprisingly, crowds gathered at the port to witness her coming ashore, astonished by the exotic animal that had travelled so far. For the majority it was the first giraffe they had ever seen. The governor of Marseille received her as an honoured guest, arranging for her to be lodged at the botanical gardens, where she drew many curious visitors. Her presence created an instant sensation, sparking a giraffe fever that spread through the city, with pamphlets, souvenirs and endless fascination with the gentle newcomer. But Marseille was only the beginning, because she was destined for Paris, to be presented as a gift to King Charles.

Speaker 1: 4:45

Marseille is about 550 miles, or roughly 900 kilometers from Paris. And now you might wonder how do you move a giraffe across France? In the 1820s, when there were no animal transport trucks, the answer was actually quite simple you walk her. So in May 1827, after wintering in Marseille, all the preparations were complete for this extraordinary trek. It would take about six weeks, winding through towns, villages and farmland, with crowds gathering at every stop to see the marvel in motion. Her route carried her north, through Avignon and then Lyon, where thousands turned out to catch a glimpse of the exotic animal. At each stop, local officials arranged lodging and feed, sometimes even staging parades in her honour.

Speaker 1: 5:56

Before she and her entourage pressed on towards the heart of France, the fascination with this magnificent animal was instant. People didn't just stare. They wanted to remember her. So artists started sketching her profile, pamphlets were printed and souvenirs were sold. The journey was long and tiring, but her care was meticulous. She was fed hay, oats and leaves, and the cows who traveled with her all the way to France kept her well supplied with buckets of milk each day. She even got a custom yellow coat and specially made shoes to keep her comfortable for the entire journey. You can imagine by the time it was close to Paris. Tens of thousands of people were following her progress through newspapers and letters. It was something like a 19th century celebrity road trip or tour, with crowds getting larger and larger at every stop.

Speaker 1: 7:10

When she finally reached the capital in late June 1827, the city erupted with excitement. Paris had never seen anything like it. The scene was pure chaos, with streets overflowing as nobles rubbed shoulders with ordinary workers all desperate for a glimpse. She instantly became the city's most famous resident, and soon after came the giraffe fever. Women piled their hair into towering a la giraffe styles to mimic her long neck, while dressmakers copied her spots in fabrics. Cafes sold giraffe-shaped biscuits, shopkeepers painted giraffes on their signs and even furniture began to carry giraffe motifs.

Speaker 1: 8:08

It was for the first time when an animal, not a general or a king or even an opera singer, had become a celebrity in France, and just a few days later after her arrival, she was led to the court of King Charles X. Crowds followed her procession through Paris, pressing against the streets as she made her way toward the royal palace, her long neck swaying gently above the heads of the onlookers. The king, intrigued and delighted, received her as an honored gift from Muhammad Ali of Egypt, seeing in her not only an exotic marvel but also a symbol of diplomatic goodwill. He was, in fact, so enchanted that he leaned from a balcony to watch her approach, laughing at the sight of her bending low to enter the palace gates. For the royal family and the Parisian elite, she was a curiosity from a distant world, and although officially she was a diplomatic gift, in reality she became something more A presence that fascinated the city and quickly made her one of its most talked about residents.

Speaker 1: 9:35

She lived 18 years, a long life for an exotic animal transported so far. She was visited by artists, scientists, children and curious tourists from across Europe curious tourists from across Europe. She never returned to Africa, but she changed the way Europeans thought about wild animals. She wasn't just a specimen in a naturalist's collection. She was a living, breathing creature who had walked across France and captured hearts along the way. When she died in 1845, her body was preserved and placed on display, ensuring that her story would live on long after her passing, and remained a reminder of the extraordinary journey that had brought her from the banks of the Nile to the boulevards of Paris. And so ends the story the Giraffe that Walked to Paris, a gift of diplomacy that became a fashion craze, a roadshow, a subject of scientific wonder and, finally, a Parisian icon. Thank you for listening to this episode of Trail of Tuesdays. If you'd like more stories like this, check out ClueTrail on your favorite podcast platform and for extra episodes, head over to our patreon. Until next time, stay safe and stay curious. Thank you.