During a recent safari in a wilderness area of the Kruger Park, we encountered the sight of a giraffe performing the most awkward movements we have ever seen. While watching a herd of giraffe one particular individual caught our attention. It was a big male giraffe, standing stiff legged while swaying forward and backwards, looking like he was warming up his hamstrings on the way down and stretching his back on the way up. Giraffes are the tallest land mammals on the planet. With their incredibly long legs and their fascinating long necks, giraffes have always been one of the most popular and admired animals in the African wild. To see a giraffe moving in such a strange manner was very entertaining and a first for all of us. After closer inspection we realised that there was a short little tree between the forelegs of the giraffe. The tree was at the perfect height for the tall giraffe and decided to use it to scratch his chest repeatedly. It was clear that the giraffe wanted to get rid of an itch on his chest and we could see how much the giraffe enjoyed every scratch. The scratching continued for over five minutes. Normally one would only see animals with very little hair scratching themselves against trees to get rid of parasites and itching insects. Animals that are covered with hair, like this giraffe, normally relies on grooming themselves or each other. Giraffes also allows oxpecker birds to remove irritating ticks from their skin.