A Thai zoo marked World Giraffe Day with vegetable treats for the animals

Staff placed sweetcorn, carrots, tamarind leaves and pangola grass inside a glass box with circular holes, which the giraffes reached through with their long tongues.

World Giraffe Day falls on June 21 and is intended to 'celebrate the longest-necked animal on the longest day or night of the year', according to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation.

Narongwit Chodchoy, director of the zoo in Khon Kaen province, Thailand, said: ‘Khon Kaen zoo is aware of the decreasing number of giraffes in the wild.

‘The World Wildlife Conference has highlighted the importance of protecting giraffes because they are at risk of extinction.'

The giraffe family at the zoo includes the mother Chae, 16, the father Khem, 13, and their children Waeng, 5, Darasmith, 2, and Baiboon, three months.

Zookeepers said the purpose of giving the food treats to the giraffe family was to make them experience new ways to eat food, encourage them to use their natural behaviour, and vary their diet.