When most couples mark 40 years of marriage, they’re thinking champagne and sandy beaches. Not Marius and Michelle Nortje. This South African duo would take a dusty trail through Kruger National Park over a five-star resort any day.
Their four-decade love affair was built on moments like these — surrounded by raw wilderness, camera at the ready. But this particular December anniversary drive would deliver something neither expected, capturing an image that would soon grip thousands online.
“We make the trip at least annually, sometimes up to four times a year,” Marius told The Citizen during a conversation about that fateful day.
The couple had been tracking lions along the paved roads when they decided to veer onto a dirt path. That’s when the first giraffe appeared. Then a second. When the third member of the small herd stepped into view, both Marius and Michelle froze.
“The moment the third giraffe emerged, we immediately noticed these abnormal growths covering her body,” Marius remembered, his years of wildlife photography experience suddenly meeting something entirely new.
His photographer’s instinct kicked in instantly. He documented what he was seeing and later posted the striking images to Facebook, where they ignited a firestorm of questions and concern from wildlife enthusiasts around the globe.
“Everyone wanted to know if she was suffering,” he explained. “But honestly, she seemed completely at ease — just grazing like nothing was wrong. The growths looked uncomfortable to us, but she didn’t appear distressed.”
Hoping to alert the proper authorities, Marius made sure to tag South African National Parks in his post. At the time of his interview, though, he’d heard nothing back from them.
Understanding the Unusual Affliction
The photographs eventually caught the attention of WorldWide Vets, a global animal welfare group, and that’s when answers started emerging. Dr. Gemna Campling, who founded and leads the organization, identified the culprit: papillomavirus.
“Papillomaviruses come in numerous varieties, each typically affecting only certain species. What we’re looking at here is almost certainly the bovine strain — Bovine Papillomavirus, or BPV — which has jumped to this giraffe,” Dr. Campling clarified.
The transmission method? Surprisingly, it involves those helpful little oxpecker birds that giraffes typically welcome.
“What appears to have happened is this: oxpeckers land on giraffes to feed on ticks and other parasites. In doing so, they inadvertently carry the virus from one host to another through their beaks. Interestingly, this giraffe is the only affected member of her herd, which matches the pattern we’ve observed in previous documented cases,” Dr. Campling noted.
Despite its alarming appearance, the condition isn’t a death sentence.
“Most BPV infections eventually resolve on their own, with animals making full recoveries,” Dr. Campling reassured. “There’s currently no available treatment for giraffes with this condition, so wildlife veterinarians can only observe and document. The good news is this particular virus poses zero risk to humans, though we do have our own version — Human Papilloma Virus.”
That said, Dr. Campling acknowledged the reality: “While we’re not talking about a fatal disease here, there’s little doubt that growths this extensive cause significant discomfort for the animal.”
The exact level of pain remains unknown, but the thought of this magnificent creature carrying such a burden is genuinely heartbreaking. Yet there she was in Marius’s photographs — peacefully grazing as if nothing was amiss. Those images resonated deeply across social media, generating an outpouring of compassion, fascination, and genuine concern from people worldwide.
For Marius and Michelle, the encounter reinforced exactly why they keep choosing the unpredictable beauty of the bush over predictable luxury vacations.
The most profound experiences rarely arrive on schedule. And every so often, it takes one passionate photographer’s keen eye to shine a light on both the remarkable strength and profound fragility of the creatures sharing our planet.
