Nevada’s only giraffe is also an accomplished painter

Facebook: Lion Habitat Ranch, Inc.

Ozzie is the only giraffe in Nevada. He’s 3 years old, resides at the Lion Habitat Ranch in Henderson and he’s a painter. No, seriously—Ozzie the giraffe enjoys painting abstracts, and has also recently collaborated on a series of landscape paintings with his artist friend Donovan Fitzgerald.

For a few strokes at a time, Ozzie can grip a paintbrush in his mouth and swipe at a canvas held by a habitat employee. Visitors to the Lion Habitat Ranch enjoy watching Ozzie paint, and Fitzgerald does, too. “I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to collaborate with a giraffe on a painting,” said Donovan Fitzgerald, a classical painter, in an interview with local station KTNV.

“It’s very exciting that we have this,” said Michele Tell-Woodrow, a mother who was visiting the Lion Ranch Habitat. “Have you ever seen a giraffe paint like that? Right here in the heart of Las Vegas.”

Giraffes are strict vegetarians who eat leaves, twigs and vegetation, so it’s impressive that Ozzie doesn’t accidentally munch up the paintbrush, mistaking it for a snack. Actually, the fact that Ozzie is at the Lion Ranch at all is impressive.

“He’s the only giraffe in Nevada,” Keith Evans, the president of the habitat told KTNV. “He’s the only giraffe that I know that paints with this extent anywhere in the world.”

The giraffe’s collaboration with Fitzgerald will be exclusively displayed at the Vignettes, an art gallery in Henderson. The paintings cost between $40 and $60, and each one is an original piece of art. To watch Ozzie in action, keep scrolling. Here’s Ozzie collaborating with Fitzgerald:

And here’s Ozzie hard at work on his usual abstracts:

A fundraiser will be held at the Lion Ranch Habitat on June 3, so if you’re around Las Vegas and want to see Ozzie the painting giraffe, go grab a ticket now!

If you aren’t available for the fundraiser, you can always drop by and visit Ozzie during regular hours. You can even pay to feed him his favorite fruits and vegetables as a treat after a hard day of painting.

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About the Author
Jessica Suss
Current high-school English teacher, native Chicagoan, and nut butter enthusiast moonlighting as a writer.

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