Edinburgh is getting used to the arrival of over forty giraffe sculptures, as part of the capital’s Giraffe About Town trail – an Edinburgh Zoo initiative, in partnership with Wild in Art. The trail was conceived in a bid to help the city recover following the Covid pandemic, and raise vital funds for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s (RZSS) conservation work in Scotland and around the world. Each giraffe is about 2.5m (8ft) tall, and has been individually-designed by various local artists and communities, and sponsored by an organisation with local ties. Edinburgh Zoo was one of myriad local attractions and businesses that had to close during the lockdown, costing its parent charity over £1.5 million. 

A additional ‘wee herd’ of 29 1.3m (4ft) tall giraffes will be on display in city centre locations, libraries and other community spaces, many of them designed by local primary schools. Maps for the trail can be found on the Giraffe About Town website, where an app can be downloaded too.