Giraffes and Gorillas Bring Out Childlike Awe For Ellen And Portia On Their Amazing African Adventure
by Heather Cassell
Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi kicked off summer in Africa.
The two were on their way to Rwanda making a stop at the famed Giraffe Manor in Nairobi, Kenya to breakfast with and make new friends with giraffes.
While gorillas were the focus of the trip, the giraffe’s clearly stole the show and their hearts from the Instagram videos and photos they posted.
Ellen and Portia were in awe and thoroughly enjoying their time with their new-found friends.
In one Instagram video post, where Portia is feeding treats to two giraffes, Ellen commented, “Portia hasn’t met a giraffe she didn’t like.”
In another video, Ellen captioned “Flirting with a giraffe,” she is feeding a Rothschild’s giraffe from her breakfast table.
In another post, Ellen is simply in sheer heaven while Portia feeds more giraffes in the background.
The manor has been around since the 1930s surrounded by 140 acres of indigenous forests that feature the native group of Rothschild’s giraffes. From the videos, it’s clear that they are quite friendly with visitors to the boutique hotel owned by the Safari Collection.
The Gorillas
The trip isn’t all pleasure, the couple were on their way to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International in Rwanda. The couple met Tara Stoinski, Ph.D., president and CEO/Chief Scientific Officer of the fund, to establish a permanent home for the fund with the Ellen DeGeneres Campus. The campus is a part of the Ellen DeGeneres Wildlife Fund.
Dian established the Karisoke Research Center in Rwanda’s Virunga mountains to protect and study the endangered silverback gorillas.
Ellen’s new campus will be a center for education, tourism, and scientific research for the gorillas that Dian fought so hard to protect.
The fund was a gift Portia, 45, gave to Ellen for her 60th birthday on her show, “The Ellen Show,” in February.
The comedian said it was “the best gift,” as she burst into tears.
“She understands me because that is the best gift that anybody could have given me,” she added quoting from Portia’s wedding vow, “It’s good to be loved. It’s profound to be understood.”
Ellen has been a longtime admirer of the late gorilla conservationist Dian who was murdered in 1985 for protecting the mountain gorillas from poachers. She was buried next to the silverback Digit, who was stabbed and decapitated by poachers. The movie, “Gorillas in the Mist
A National Geographic documentary released last fall explored the modern-day challenges facing the gorillas, her legacy, and her unsolved murder.
Days before leaving on their Memorial Day Weekend vacation, Ellen’s friend actor and investor Ashton Kutcher and Hollywood manager Guy Oseary surprised her with a $4 million donation for the campus on her show completely surprising her using cryptocurrency and digital payment network Ripple.
Ashton and Guy are investors in the company.
Book your next romantic getaway to the Caribbean with Girls That Roam Travel. Contact Heather Cassell at Girls That Roam Travel at 415-517-7239 or at .
To contract an original article, purchase reprints or become a media partner, contact .
