New role for Bo'ness Fair giraffe Abigail as she bids to help real giraffes at Edinburgh Zoo

Abigail the giraffe has been a feature at Deanburn Primary in the town since the annual Fair Day in June, but last week she made the short journey to the capital in a bid to entice the zoo’s five male Nubian giraffes into a part of their enclosure they have never been keen to venture into before.

Abigail was the creation of local artist Megan Lyall in the run up to this year’s Fair Day as part of a display at Queen Ella Black’s dress showing at the Hazeldean Avenue school.

Made from bed sheets and bubble wrap, after completing her role at the dress showing, the life-sized giraffe became part of the school frontage.

Sarah Ballantine, chairperson of Deanburn Primary School’s Parent Council, explained: “Every school picks a theme and we picked Wonka.

“We supported the retinue to have their dress showing together in school, and someone had suggested it would be good to have a giraffe’s head peeping over the top of the mirror at Queen Ella’s dress showing as in the film all the best chocolate contains giraffe’s milk.

“It was meant to just be the head, but the artist took it to a whole new level and made a life sized giraffe out of bed sheets and bubble wrap.

“After the dress showing we decided to keep Abigail and created the rest of the school’s frontage around her.

“Megan gave up her time to help the school with the frontage and without her we wouldn’t have been able to have such a fabulous display for our Wonka themed arch and the local community wouldn’t have had the giraffe to come and look at all summer.”

Having spent the summer outside the school, being admired by passers by, Abigail has now left for her new home – and an important role – at Edinburgh Zoo.

Sarah continued: “A lady from Edinburgh Zoo came to pick up her friend’s children and saw the giraffe.

"The giraffes at the zoo have got a bit in their enclosure they are scared to venture into. They have tried to entice them into the area with a lot of different things, but nothing has worked. She thought maybe Abigail might encourage the male giraffes.

“So Abigail is now in a lovely large area of the enclosure that the five male giraffes haven't ventured in, despite the zoo keepers trying to entice them for a few years.

"The hope is that by seeing Abigail there they will be brave enough to take that step across the threshold and enjoy the space.

“It’s great that Abigail is being reused and given another purpose – that’s what all the schools are trying to promote is recycling and reusing things from the Fair arches.

“We never imaged the giraffe would be repurposed in such a way though.

“We hope now that Abigail can be used to help the giraffes and Edinburgh Zoo. It would be so exciting if this plan works and the five giraffes get to utilise their really large outdoor space that they are currently missing out on.”