IF YOU HAPPEN TO HAVE A GIRAFFE, then you're likely already planning your party, the one that will happen on June 21, which is World Giraffe Day, or, maybe, the following Saturday, because a lot of people work on Wednesdays, and that might conflict with some of your friends' schedules. But if you don't have a giraffe, then you probably aren't in the midst of hanging streamers and signs at the moment, but you are wondering where you can go to ruminate on the ruminant, the beloved, obsessed-over, super-tall, leaf-munching mammal. The obvious answer is to go to where giraffes are, but you might also want to find an animal park that is doing something a little special for the conservation-minded holiday. And while the party at Safari West in Sonoma County has passed — the park timed its bash to Father's Day — you can lay hoof tracks for...
SANTA BARBARA AND PALM DESERT: Not both on a single day, anyway, as that's a bit of driving, but if you're near either the Santa Barbara Zoo on June 24 or The Living Desert on June 21, you can be in the thick of the long-neck'd liveliness. If you go to the earlier event, on June 21 at The Living Desert, wearing giraffe-like apparel will net you a half-price admission. Arts, crafts, giraffe feedings, and more await. And in Santa Barbara, on the Saturday following World Giraffe Day? Look for four hours of doings spotlighting the resident Masai giraffes. It's all very sweet stuff, with an important message at heart: Remaining aware of, and active about, giraffe conservation, and the issues these elegant, spot-spectacular, endlessly fascinating animals face.
