Areena’s Tall Story

Abe the giraffe arrived at Areena Riverside Resort as a five month old, three metre tall baby weighing almost 300 kilograms. His mother had died, and owners of the resort, Ed and Karen Rathbone, had volunteered to rear him on the resort’s 350 hectare game park situated near East London.

“He was bottle fed for five months,” says Ed Rathbone. “So, although he roams around the game park most of the time, he also loves interacting with the visitors.” Abe feels right at home amongst the other animals in the reserve including giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, kudu, eland and impala but will regularly come and say hello to the Rathbones and their guests.

He has learned to step over the gates of the game park and into the main resort area and often joins in with the corporate teambuilding activities. “He tries to become one of the team members!” says Rathbone. “He is extremely interested in people and likes to sniff them and give them a welcoming lick with his long, rough tongue. He even has a preference for ladies with blonde hair and will single them out within a group!”

Although his main diet consists of the foliage from the game reserve’s thorn trees, Abe enjoys snacking on mielies and potatoes too – but make sure you have an umbrella ready as he starts to salivate when he realises he’s getting a treat.

“Abe is now part of the Areena family,” says Rathbone. “He adds a special element to the resort, and guests love him. In fact, one visitor even commented that their yearly pilgrimage to the Kruger National Park had been surpassed by the ten minute interaction with Abe the giraffe.”

The family-owned Areena Riverside Resort has grown from strength to strength over the past 24 years and is now one of the most popular holiday and corporate team building destinations in the Eastern Cape.

“We encourage all of our members to market themselves based on their unique experiences – something that makes visitors want to return over and over again to the Eastern Cape,” says Ectour chairperson, Anleen Louw. Ectour is the private sector group marketing organisation for the Eastern Cape. “Congratulations to Areena for running a fantastic resort, and offering guests the opportunity to interact with wildlife on a very personal level. This is something that will certainly have people coming back for more.”

Areena Riverside Resort also offers camping and caravan facilities, and is well equipped for weddings and other large functions.

“It’s great to run a resort where good friends are made, and where guests always feel welcome. Areena is definitely a place to come back to, because once is never enough!” says Rathbone.