Welcome to the Junior Giraffe Club!
About
The Junior Giraffe Club (JGC) is for anyone who loves and cares about giraffes. More than just a club, it’s a community where young people are recognized as the voices and leaders of the next generation. Inspired by Dr. Anne Innis Dagg—the world’s first Giraffologist—the JGC encourages curiosity, conservation, and the belief that with passion and perseverance, anything is possible.
Our members are from 10 different countries including: Australia, Canada, China, England, Jamaica, Japan, Ireland, Italy, Spain and USA.
Facilitators
KAITLYN TAYLOR
Kaitlyn is working on completing her Master’s degree in Wildlife Science at the University of the Free State in South Africa. Kaitlyn has been passionate for giraffe conservation for as long as she can remember, and was her lifelong dream to research these wonderful animals in the wild. While completing her undergraduate degree in Environmental Stewardship and Education at West Liberty University, she was a part of the Crayfish Conservation Lab where she was introduced to the complex relationship between human activity and wildlife. This concept greatly fascinated her, and led her to her Masters research topic of how human sounds impact giraffe behaviour. This is the first study to exclusively research how human created noise affect wild giraffe behaviour, and Kaitlyn is so excited to tell you all about it!
SAMANTHA BEAL
Samantha was born and raised in Kitchener, Ontario (Canada) and from an early age was drawn to oceanic animals. She moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to do an undergraduate degree in marine biology and is currently working on her Masters degree at Dalhousie University. In this degree, she is working on developing environmental DNA tools to detect the endangered Atlantic Whitefish in their natural habitat.
VEILA MAKUNDI
Veila Makundi implements the 'Celebrating Africa's Giants' education program for Wild Nature Institute and the 'Living in Harmony With Your Natural Surroundings' education program for PAMS Foundation in primary and secondary schools throughout the Tarangire-Manyara Ecosystem. Veila creates educational materials, trains teachers, provides classroom instruction, and organizes school and community events to celebrate wildlife and nature. Veila hails from Morogoro and is currently based at Wild Nature Institute's field office in Mtowambu. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences and Management at Sokoine University of Agriculture, and worked as a primary school teacher and a field research assistant studying African pouched rats before joining Wild Nature Institute’s team.
JESSICA GRANWEILER
Jessica’s passion for giraffes and their behaviour started after an internship in the Limpopo region in South Africa, where she studied giraffe social behaviour. After that she promised herself that she would be part of the research team that works in this iconic species! In 2021, she started her PhD on giraffes, researching how they adapt their behaviour and physiology to challenges in their natural environment, such as hilly terrain, human activity and seasonality in food. "Giraffes are an iconic species of the African landscapes, and the fact that we are still discovering key facts about their behaviour and ecology is crazy to me!"
MARIANA MARENO-FLOREZ
Mariana is a grade 12 high school student from Ontario, Canada, with a passion for giraffes and conservation. She has been an active member of the Junior Giraffe Club for several years, helping to update the website and create crafts and activities for monthly meetings. In 2021, Mariana appeared in a CTV News W5 episode about Anne Innis Dagg, an experience that deepened her connection to Anne’s work. She is excited to continue inspiring others to learn about and care for giraffes through the club!
REBECCA BORDONALI
Rebecca is a university student studying science in Ontario, Canada. She has always loved giraffes and reached out to the Anne Innis Dagg Foundation after watching “The Woman Who Loves Giraffes," soon after becoming the Junior Giraffe Club's first member. After joining the club, Rebecca built a 16 foot tall giraffe using repurposed materials with her sister Rachel and her dad Emanuele. The giraffe sculpture raised over $2,000 for conservation programs!
MARY DAGG
Mary Dagg is Anne Innis Dagg’s daughter and the Chief Executive Officer of the Anne Innis Dagg Foundation. She is a CPA (Chartered Professional Accountant) and worked as a Senior Director of Finance at a large Bay Street law firm. In 2020, she decided to leave the financial world and has dedicated herself to her mother and her mother’s work. She accompanied Anne on her trip back to Fleur De Lys in South Africa and was by her side when Anne received the Order of Canada, her honorary doctorate at the University of Waterloo and many screenings and special events for the award-winning documentary based on Anne’s life, The Woman Who Loves Giraffes.
RIEKA KANAI
Rieka Kanai is a giraffe enthusiast who has taught our members how to make origami giraffes and she has also made sooooo many of them for our special events.