I assume you all have seen the animated high diving giraffes video. flixxy.com

One of my friends forwarded a forwarded email (forwarded⁴, in fact) with the following message:

YOU AREN’T GOING TO BELIEVE THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW!!!!!!!!!!! Enjoy.
Apparently they only do this in Australia. They don’t tour because it costs too much to transport these highly trained and valuable animals.

It take about 2 years to train one giraffe to feel comfortable in the water, and then another 3 or 4 years to get them to dive.

They also train them using only the reward system, unlike other animal exhibitions where they use harsh techniques.

Giraffes in Australia. Diving into swimming pools. Apparently, none of my friend’s correspondents noted the, um, implausibility, of this stunt in real life. i set them straight.

I’m a real pain when it comes to forwarded emails that are patently wrong or untrue. People who send me these things will eventually give up, because I’m no fun with my facts and shit.