This isn't Giraffe Cafe! Massive animal sticks his neck out to join family for breakfast at manor house

In many ways, the setting is just a typical family breakfast.
Young children and their mother enjoy croissants and orange juice while sitting around a table together.
But things become a little different when you notice a giraffe poking its head through the window to join them for a drink and a bite to eat.
In fact, the Carr-Hartley family have the unusual distinction of sharing their home with eight Rothschild giraffes, some of the rarest on the planet.

Tall order: A rare Rothschild giraffe joins the breakfast table at the Carr-Hartley family's manor house in Kenya

In the shadow of Kenya’s Mount Kilimanjaro, the world's tallest animals are free to roam their 140-acre estate and are regular visitors at their English-style manor built in the colonial era.
Every day shortly before 9am, the mammoth beasts stroll up to the house and poke their heads through the windows and doors in search of morning treats.
Married owners Tanya and Mikey Carr-Hartley literally share their dining table with them.
And now the pair are sharing the mesmerising experience with the outside world - by opening the manor gates to guests at the world’s only giraffe hotel.
Mr and Mrs Carr-Hartley, both 38, spent their childhood living close to the house in Nairobi and have both always been fascinated with the graceful giants.


Mrs Carr-Hartley said: ‘Mikey and I grew up near to this manor house when we were children.
‘We are both third generation Kenyans who have always wanted to work in conservation.
‘Mikey’s family have been involved in the protection of animals for many generations.
‘His granddad was even involved in the relocation of giraffes as far back as the 1930s. Moving the giraffes ensured their protection and continued existence.
‘When the house came up for sale, we jumped at the chance to buy it as we had always dreamed of one day owning it.
‘We are now absolutely overjoyed to be involved with the protection of this very endangered species.

High tea: Tanya Carr-Hartley feeds one of the tall mammals - one of eight on their estate - from a window

‘Having the giraffes so close is very special and something which people can now experience by staying in one of the six rooms at the hotel.’
Giraffe Manor is home to eight Rothschild giraffes, which are some of the rarest on earth second only to the Niger Giraffe, with only a few hundred left in the wild.
A conservation project to save them was started at the Manor in 1974 when the grandson of a Scottish earl, Jock Leslie Melville, and his American wife Betty bought the stately home.
Later that year they moved two highly endangered Rothschild giraffe into the estate where third and fourth generations live on.
As well as the herd of giraffes, the manor plays host to a large family of warthogs, exotic birds and the elusive bush buck.
Guests feed the giraffes at breakfast, but can also get up close and personal with them from the second floor bedrooms.
Mrs Carr-Hartley added: ‘We know all of the giraffes by name: 13-year-old Lynne is the leader of the herd and can be very persistent about getting treats
‘Pretty Arlene is 15 years old and is the smallest of the six females. She loves people and will stand below the terrace and allow people to hug her.
‘She quite often loves to just hang out with us and loves to be stroked and touched.
‘She had her only calf, Barney, in August 2007 - they are devoted to each other and he has really come on in the last few months.

Giraffic park: A gentle giant towers in front of the English-style manor house which guests can pay to stay in

‘He is still a little bit nervous about being stroked and touched but he loves kisses.
‘He is currently on the cusp of a scruffy school boy and always has food between his horns dropped by the larger females.

‘He is a typical teenager - one moment a sweet little boy and next second full of attitude.
‘Every day at 9am, the herd like nothing better than to stroll over to the house and have a good morning stretch.
‘They have special pellets which are made for race horses, but are very nutritious, otherwise they snack on twigs and leaves around the grounds.
‘The giraffes bend all the way down to take treats from the front door entrance - they are very friendly.
‘But guests need to keep in mind giraffes are graceful, but very powerful animals so we ask them not to approach them when they are roaming the gardens.
‘The conservation of the giraffes is very important to us. The giraffes here are semi-tame because they have been hand reared.
‘But the previous owners ran a very successful breeding programme, where many giraffes were released into the wild and we hope to continue.’
The Rothschild giraffes lost much of their natural habitat in western Kenya and faced extinction.
The ones at the site grow up to more than 16ft tall, weigh two tons and have a life expectancy of up to 30 years.