Why Are Giraffes 30 Times More Likely to Be Hit by Lightning?

💡 The Answer

• Between 1996 and 2010, five well-documented fatal lightning strikes on giraffes were recorded.
• With a population of only 140,000, this equals about 0.003 lightning deaths per thousand giraffes each year.
• That rate is 30 times higher than the equivalent lightning fatality rate for humans.
• Their extreme height makes them the tallest point in open savannah landscapes, attracting strikes.