Doc on ‘Goodall of Giraffes’ debuts in Chelsea
BY GABE HERMAN
A documentary called “The Woman
Who Loves Giraffes” opening
on Jan. 10 at the Quad Cinema
in Chelsea chronicles the life and
work of Anne Innis Dagg, a pioneer in
the field of giraffe studies.
The movie chronicles Dagg going
to South Africa by herself in 1956 at
age of 23 to study giraffes in the wild,
something noted in the film that was
not done by women at that time.
Her journey was first met with resistance,
a common theme throughout
her professional life, but she persisted
and became the first person to go to Africa
to study a wild animal, four years
before Jane Goodall’s journey to study
chimpanzees and seven years before
Dian Fossey’s work with mountain gorillas.
Dagg’s love of giraffes began at age 3
at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, when
she saw the tall creatures and was
struck by their unusual look. “Aren’t
they curious?” says Dagg, now 87, in
the film in present day. “Other animals
aren’t curious like that.”
Very little was known of giraffes
when she went to Africa. Dagg studied
giraffes’ movements, what trees they
ate from, and other behaviors. While
those around her had trouble getting
past the fact that a woman was doing
this, she said she always just thought of
herself as a person following her interests.
“I was breaking ground without
realizing it,” she says in the film.
Dagg would later return to her native
Canada and teach, also having writing
published in top science journals. But
she faced discrimination at Canadian
universities, including being denied
tenure and having her credentials questioned.
Dagg fought for years to push back
against discrimination, writing books
on feminism and fighting sexism in
Canada, along with publishing books
on giraffes and other animals. She cowrote
a 1976 book, “The Giraffe: Its
Biology, Behavior and Ecology,” which
was the only book exploring
scientific aspects of giraffes at
the time, and current experts
in the field credit her with essentially
writing the textbook
on the animals. Her most
recent book was the 2016
“Smitten by Giraffe.”
She would never achieve
fame like Jane Goodall, the
film notes, perhaps because
giraffes seem more unusual
and alien compared to primates
or other animals like
elephants.
The film catches up with
Dagg in recent years, when
she was sought out by “giraffologists”
in the scientific
community. She has been
given awards for excellence
in giraffe science, invited to
conferences, and she discovered
that she has inspired generations
of scientists and giraffe lovers through
her books, despite her being away from
the field herself for years.
She was also invited by a scientific
team to go with them to Africa, her first
trip back in half a century. The film follows
Dagg on the emotional trip, where
she visits once more with giraffes and
talks to schoolchildren about the importance
of conservation in the face of
The life of Anne Innis Dagg, dubbed
the “Jane Goodall of giraffes,” is
celebrated with a documentary
opening on Jan. 10 at the Quad
Cinema.
giraffes becoming increasingly endangered.
Dagg told this paper that she receives
standing ovations at showings of
the documentary. “I love going to the
various screenings,” she said, adding
that people ask interesting questions
and are concerned about the possibility
of giraffes going extinct.
More people are learning of Dagg’s
achievements thanks to the film, noted
director Alison Reid, and Canadian
universities have been trying to make
amends for how she was treated, one
apologizing and creating a scholarship
in her name and another giving her an
honorary doctorate. In late December,
Dagg was appointed a member of the
Order of Canada.
“I’m really lucky to be alive now and
be able to enjoy this,” Dagg said.
Reid said viewers marvel that they
haven’t heard of Dagg’s story before.
“They’re happy that it’s coming to
light,” said Reid. “A lot of women are
angry about what she faced at the universities.”
She added that many men
feel protective of Anne after seeing the
movie, and say they cried during the
film.
“I think it’s a film that moves and inspires
people, and has some beautiful
giraffe photography as well. It’s a feelgood
film,” Reid said. “I hope people
end up being inspired by it.”
Despite a growing worldwide trade
of giraffe parts, Dagg and Reid said
they were encouraged by legislation
signed by Governor Cuomo in December
that labels giraffes as “vulnerable”
and bans trade of their parts.
Reid hopes the film keeps spreading
the word about Anne Innis Dagg and
the animals she has loved for so long.
“It’s nice to see a film having an effect
on giraffe conservation and Anne’s story,”
said Reid.
Dagg and Reid will be at evening
screenings of the film at Quad Cinema,
34 West 13th St., on Friday, Jan. 10 and
Saturday, Jan. 11 for Q & A’s.
16 January 9, 2020 Schneps Media