DA apologises after taxidermied giraffe stunt triggers Owl Rescue Centre response

The DA’s Gauteng branch has apologised after a taxidermied giraffe head used in a political post prompted an emergency response from volunteers at the Owl Rescue Centre.

What happened

Members of the Democratic Alliance’s Gauteng Provincial Legislature placed a taxidermied giraffe head in a large sinkhole near Mogale City as part of a social media post. The stunt was led by Shadow MEC for Roads and Logistics Evert Du Plessis.

Reaction and apology

Social media users and animal activists criticised the move, calling it in “poor taste” and saying it showed a “lack of respect.” The DA posted a response on its Facebook account, saying:

“We never intended this outcome and regret that the Owl Rescue Centre was called out unnecessarily. We support their important work and have engaged with the organisation. The giraffe prop was meant only to illustrate how deep and dangerous this long-neglected sinkhole has become”

Why the Owl Rescue Centre responded

The Owl Rescue Centre said it was alerted by another rehabilitation centre and believed a real giraffe was trapped. The centre described steps taken to verify the callout: it checked the image closely, tried to contact the original poster (whose number was invalid), and called the person who had sent the screenshot, who insisted the rescue was legitimate.

The centre also said it ran the image through an AI detection tool, which “flagged it as a real photo,” and posted the image to its Facebook page which the source says has over 195,000 followers asking for confirmation. According to the centre, “Not a single person could confirm it was a prank.”

Rescue mobilisation and discovery

The Owl Rescue Centre reported that, believing an animal was in distress, volunteers loaded supplies including tripod systems, heavy-duty slings and chain blocks and drove about 75 km toward the site. An hour later they were notified that the image was part of a DA political campaign. The centre emphasised its commitment to respond to potential animal emergencies, saying:

“Even if people intend to prank us, we will always respond. We will never ignore a call for help on the off chance it’s fake, only to find out that an animal was left to suffer.”

The rescue centre also confirmed:

“And just to confirm for everyone. That giraffe was a real taxidermied animal”

DA message on the underlying issue

Alongside its apology, the DA reiterated the intended message of the post: that the sinkhole was dangerous and long-neglected. The party said the sinkhole had been first flagged by the DA in February of the previous year and that residents and businesses continue to face risk while it has not been fixed. The DA “call[ed] on the Department and MEC to intervene urgently,” according to its Facebook statement.

What remains clear

The episode left volunteers mobilised under the belief a live giraffe needed rescuing and prompted an apology from the DA, which said the prop was meant to illustrate the depth and danger of a neglected sinkhole.