Are giraffes more at risk from lightening?

I attended ESD training in Germany last week, held by our suppliers Wolfgang Warmbier. I had attended training some 10 years ago, but felt it important to stay on top of the latest developments. The training was attended by delegates from around the world, Spain, Romania, Slovenia to name a few.  We spent the time discussing and learning more about the ways to combat and prevent ESD events, through a wide range of products.

Interestingly, we had hosted the MD of Wolfgang Warmbier previously in South Africa, and he was very keen to see some wildlife, we arranged a visit to a park, and he was most amazed not to see any giraffes (in this park).  The reason was that two had been struck by lightning and died. The others were moved for their safety. What causes lightening? I'm glad you asked:

Lightning is an atmospheric electrical discharge (spark) accompanied by thunder, usually associated with and produced by cumulonimbus clouds.  From this discharge of atmospheric electricity, a leader of a bolt of lightning can travel at speeds of 220,000 km/h (140,000 mph), and can reach temperatures of about 30,000 °C.

There are some 16 million lightning storms in the world every year. Lightning causes ionisation in the air through which it travels. How lightning initially forms is still a matter of debate. Scientists have studied root causes ranging from atmospheric perturbations (wind, humidity, friction, and atmospheric pressure) to the impact of solar wind and accumulation of charged solar particles. Ice inside a cloud is thought to be a key element in lightning development, and may cause a forcible separation of positive and negative charges within the cloud, thus assisting in the formation of lightning.

Static electricity effects us in our daily life- take a look here at what happened to a lady while filing up with petrol. The effect it has on the devices we use, normally happens during manufacture: whether a cellphone, laptop, appliance, Pc board etc. Nowadays anyone that is in anyway exposed to the inner workings of electronic devices, be it in production, maintenance or repair, needs to take into consideration, the effect of the HBM (human body model) and take the preventative measures to reduce an ESD event. 

I guess we take for granted how static is generated, or how often it occurs in our daily lives, I found this video which simplifies the description of thecharging process. Take a look and see that by rubbing two surfaces together (in everyday life) a charge is generated. We can gladly help you if you have any queries relating to ESD

Stay warm.
Best regards , 

John Christensen