How a Sioux Falls woman became a worldwide advocate for giraffes

It began with Gooby.

Gooby was a stuffed giraffe, Michele Mattingly’s first and favorite plaything. When she was about 3 years old and Gooby somehow became lost, she was inconsolable.

“I just lost my mind crying for it,” Mattingly said. “That was my first giraffe. But my first real understanding of giraffes came when I was about 4. My big sister, who was largely responsible for raising me, when I asked her where giraffes came from, she showed me a National Geographic issue on Africa. I thought, this is it. I want to go there.”

In the half-century since then, Mattingly’s fascination with and affection for giraffes has never faded. That childhood dream of travelling to Africa has come true. And her goal now is to make sure that her favorite quadrupeds can continue to roam the savannas and plains of Africa.

To achieve that, Mattingly and four others have established The World Giraffe Alliance, or TWIGA. Its goal is to establish a refuge where endangered giraffes can roam freely without threat.

“Essentially, our mission is to preserve and protect wild giraffes in their natural habitats, specifically the most endangered species,” Mattingly said. “We have purchased land for the purpose of establishing a sanctuary in Tanzania.”

Currently involved in fundraising, TWIGA — the word means “giraffe” in Swahili — knows it needs recognition if its goal of opening a bed-and-breakfast on the sanctuary land by 2025 is to be reached, Mattingly said.

“What we need the most now is, No. 1, just recognition. We need people to know who we are,” Mattingly said.

A fundraising 5K proposed for this summer was canceled after potential participants didn’t express any interest. The TWIGA founders — a math professor in Los Angeles, a Disney product manager in Florida, a Mount Kilimanjaro guide in Tanzania, a filmmaker in Oregon and Mattingly — met and decided to focus on making its goals known.

“The giraffe population has gone down 40 percent in 30 years, and some of the giraffes are down to 2,000 that they can identify in the wild,” Mattingly said. “Those could be gone in two years easily. They’re one of the smaller giraffes. The Maasai giraffe, the tallest and big boned, are also in danger.”

Seven African countries that once used to have giraffes roaming in the wild no longer have any of the long-necked creatures at all. Preserving the giraffes that remain is a labor of love, Mattingly said.

The retired educator and mother of four, who grew up in Los Angeles, remarried in 2020. They moved from California to South Dakota in November 2023. After teaching high school English for 25 years, she now serves as a substitute teacher in the Harrisburg School District while her husband works from home.

Mattingly first saw a giraffe at the San Diego Zoo while nestled in her father’s arms. She remembers pointing a finger, saying “there, there” and demanding to go closer. Her father complied.

“I wanted to stay in his arms and watch them. They have mesmerized me my whole life,” Mattingly said. “There is some universal connection between me and them. From my own rational mind, I just love them because, No. 1, they overcome the most difficult of obstacles. They are so vulnerable with health issues, and their whole life is difficult because of their long necks. They are peace-loving, incredibly friendly and vegetarians, not predators.”

As one of three supervisors for the Great Plains Zoo’s giraffe area, Amanda Klein spends time with 17-year-old Oliva Dee every workday. The reticulated giraffe has called Sioux Falls her home since 2009.

“Each giraffe we have had has such a unique personality,” Klein said. “Olivia Dee is just a complete sweetheart. She loves attention from the public and keepers during giraffe feeding. She knows when people are going to give her treats.”

The Great Plains Zoo has had as many as seven giraffes in the past and 13 in its history. Olivia Dee currently is the only giraffe on the grounds, but the zoo is in the works of bringing in a companion for her, Klein said. Six giraffe calves have been born at the zoo.

Olivia Dee’s keepers work with her on operant conditioning, providing enrichment to help bring out natural behaviors. Training her with footwork means her hooves can be trimmed as needed.

Currently, they are working on touch with her. To accustom her to touch, the staff works with a long-handled brush on her neck.

Giraffes in the wild spend so much time eating that equipment called slow feeders helps Olivia Dee mimic the natural eating pattern. All animals fill a purpose a niche in the Earth’s ecosystem, Klein said. Giraffes eat the highest leaves on trees, while the lower leaves are saved for other vegetarian animals.

“I love just watching her; she is a very enjoyable animal to watch,” Klein said. “She is always aware of her surroundings; she is constantly moving checking things out, watching the vehicles going by.”

Over the years, Mattingly has collected giraffes — stuffed and statuaries, jewelry boxes, clocks and other items. It wasn’t until 2016 when she journeyed to Africa to climb Mount Kilimanjaro that a new passion was born. She connected with a Tanzanian guide named Kefas, and as they walked together, he talked about the need for a sanctuary for giraffes.

Mattingly saw no giraffes on that trip. When she returned in 2021, Kefas made sure she could observe them in the wild, hiking for six hours so she could see them, guided by a Maasai warrior.

“I followed where he was pointing, and 30 to 40 feet away, there was a giraffe sitting chewing on a tree,” Mattingly said. “I sat there and watched it, and it just took my breath away. … I threw my arms around him (the guide) and hugged him. I said thank you so much, and his response in Swahili was you’re welcome. It was worth the six hours of walking with no water.”

Mattingly and a son traveled to Tanzania in June, and they saw giraffes in the wild again. In the eight years since her first visit, progress had been made to help save the animals. TWIGA now owns 5 acres, purchased in October 2023, and 100 acacia trees have been planted to draw giraffes to the property. The caretaker’s cottage has been started. It will house Kefas and his family; Mattingly calls him her adopted son.

The retreat house is planned as a five-bedroom, bed-and-breakfast for people who want to climb Kilimanjaro, unplug from technology and dwell in nature.

TWIGA has chosen “Stick your neck out” as its tagline in honor of giraffes, which must stick their necks out to accomplish anything. But with an expanded mission, TWIGA also is sticking its neck out for the Indigenous people who live on the land.

“Giraffes are not the only ones endangered,” Mattingly said. “The governments of East African countries like Kenya, Uganda and Burundi are making a concerted effort to get people who are nomadic off the land so it can be used for farming. This group of Maasai who live on the land that we purchased for the sanctuary told us, we welcome you. We know what your mission is. We are hopeful that you will also help us get the message out that we’re being forced from our land.”

Kefas and his family will move from the city where they now live when the caretaker’s cottage is completed.

“They are so excited about getting back to their land,” Mattingly said.

The push for more farmland also has threatened the existence of giraffes. There is no compunction about killing the animals, Mattingly said, and even capturing a giraffe can endanger its life. Their heartbeat goes up when they panic, which can be fatal. Giraffes also can lie prone for only three minutes at a time before their blood pressure is affected.

Mattingly, who has set 2025 as the goal for fully funding TWIGA’s venture, views the giraffes she is trying to save as a metaphor for the natural world.

“We need to be mindful,” she said. “We don’t think about the island of trash sitting in the ocean, but we contribute to it every day. Giraffes are paying the price like all animals for our selfishness. I want people to put away plastic or choose buying something in glass. Just be mindful. Think about giraffes. Stick your neck out for them.”