For Alachua resident Irene Celli, all of these animals are ordinary compared to her tall alternative …a giraffe.

Geenovannicci the giraffe's journey to America can be traced back to England, when Celli's friends who owned a farm were selling their animals in order to move to America.

When no one else could take the giraffe, Celli and her husband dug into their pockets and came up with the $10,000 asking price, later selling the animal for a $5,000 dollar profit.

"I never really thought it was that strange," Celli says, chuckling. "You should have seen my neighbors faces that first day though."

From a special diet of giraffe food, to strange sideways glances from dumbfounded neighbors, Geenovanicci spent six months with Celli before packing up his giraffe bags and finding a permanent home at the Maryland Zoo.

-- By Derek Taylor