Zarafa --the giraffe that captivated Paris

Zarafa, the gangly-legged, wide-eyed and playful giraffe which captivated Paris in the 1800s, was one of the the totally unexpected sights of La Rochelle this month. She peers out and around every historic building in La Rochelle, a totally incongruous but enchanting character chosen to advertise the reopening of the Natural History Museum in La Rochelle.

Already famous for its amazing aquarium (and yes Zarafa stands on the wall there too), La Rochelle is home to the giraffe which was stuffed and sent there on its death. And now she bids to be as popular two centuries after her death as she was in life.

She is the focus of my Garden and Hearth Travel Europe feature for March 2008 and also the subject of Michael Allin's book, Zarafa, which tells the story of her adventures on the way to Paris.

The book is easily available on the Internet and you can read about it on Amazon reviews