Âé¶¹´«Ã½

The last word

24 October 1998

Neck ache

Question: Do giraffes standing on the plains of Africa ever get struck by lightning?

Answer: Yes, and not only giraffes. Game, stock, humans and trees all get struck with varying frequency and effect. Some of the planet’s highest lightning strike frequencies have been recorded in parts of southern Africa, and loss of stock or human life is not particularly unusual. Giraffes are good targets, but there are not many of them and their remains are often quickly consumed by scavengers, destroying evidence of the strike.

Even in the Bushveld, a low-lying area where thunderstorms are common, lightning is…

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