Reeves opens his £70k giraffe house

Vic Reeves has opened a giraffe house, paid for with the money he earned from I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here!

The comic put up £70,000 to pay for the building at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park, near Hythe, Kent.

As he unveiled a silver plaque at the Vic Reeves Giraffe House, he said: “Welcome to my new giraffe house ... it’s my first and hopefully not my last.

 “They are incredible animals and I would urge everyone to come down and see them ... see the way they glide on land.”

Reeves, who lives nearby, also contributed his winnings from a celebrity edition of  Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? to the house.

He has just returned from filming a programme about tapirs in the Costa Rica rainforest with his wife Nancy Sorrell, who was also at today’s unveiling.

Robert Boutwood, director of fundraising at the park, said: “I met Jim [Moir, Vic’s real name] when he moved to the area many years ago in a pub – where else would you find him?

“From that moment he became enthralled with the animals. We are very lucky to have him as one of our closest supporters.”

Published: 24 May 2005