Zarafa the giraffe walks from Marseille to Paris
- When
- 1827
- Where
- Marseille; Chateau of Saint-Cloud
- Episodes
- 2
Zarafa, a female Nubian giraffe, was a diplomatic gift from Muhammad Ali Pasha to King Charles X of France. Arriving in Marseille in late 1826, she undertook a 900 km overland journey to Paris in 1827. Her arrival caused a sensation, leading to her residence in the Jardin des Plantes.
Episodes
- Departure from Marseille
Zarafa left Marseille on 20 May 1827 to walk 900 km to Paris, avoiding dangerous sea routes.
- Presentation to King Charles X
Zarafa was presented to King Charles X at Saint-Cloud on 9 July 1827, causing a sensation in Paris.
Background and detail
Overland Journey. Due to fears about transporting the giraffe by boat around the Iberian Peninsula, it was decided she should walk 900 km to Paris. She departed Marseille on 20 May 1827, having already grown 15 cm since her arrival. The journey was significant as these were the first giraffes seen in Europe since 1486.
Arrival in Paris. Zarafa was presented to King Charles X at the chateau of Saint-Cloud on 9 July 1827. Standing nearly 4 meters high, her arrival caused a sensation in Paris. She subsequently took up residence in the Jardin des Plantes, which had become home to animals from scientific expeditions.
People involved
- Zarafa · Giraffe
- Muhammad Ali Pasha · Ruler of Egypt (described in the source as the Ottoman Viceroy of Egypt)
- Charles X · King of France
Sources
- Zarafa (giraffe) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-04
- Jardin des Plantes Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-19
- Charles X of France Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-06
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.