New Heritage Minute Celebrates Anne Innis Dagg

TORONTO, Oct. 2, 2025 /CNW/ - Historica Canada's latest Heritage Minute will feature Dr. Anne Innis Dagg, our country's world-renowned 'giraffe lady.'

The Minute marks Dagg's achievements as a pioneering researcher who made the study of giraffes in Africa her life's work – both in the field and as an academic back home in Canada. It will be released on October 2 to coincide with Women's History Month.

In 1956, Dr. Anne Innis Dagg became the first Western researcher to study any mammal in the wild in Africa. She is still known as one of the foremost experts on giraffes.

As a young girl, Dagg visited a zoo and fell in love with the species. In 1956, after completing her master's degree from the University of Toronto, she decided to study giraffes in South Africa. As an unmarried woman travelling alone, Dagg initially struggled to find someone to host her.  Similarly, upon her return to Canada, she faced sexism in academia which resulted, among other things, in her being unable to earn tenure despite her renown. She published her first book on giraffes in 1976. Zoologists still consider the book a seminal text - and Dagg as a leading authority on giraffes. She also published extensively about camels, primates, and Canadian wildlife – but was primarily known for her work with giraffes. Named to the Order of Canada in 2019, she died in 2024.

"Anne Innis Dagg was a trailblazer in her field - the first western scientist to study an African mammal in the wild," said Anthony Wilson-Smith, President and CEO of Historica Canada. "Her persistence in the face of obstacles and passion for giraffes is what this Minute celebrates."

"My family and I are so thrilled that my mom has been chosen for this amazing honour to share her story as a proud adventurous Canadian woman," said Mary Dagg, daughter of Anne Innis Dagg and end narrator on this Heritage Minute.

The Minute, filmed in July 2025 in Toronto, was produced by Historica Canada in conjunction with Pursuing Giraffes Adventures Inc (The Woman Who Loves Giraffes, 2018). It was made possible through funding from the Government of Canada and in-kind support through film equipment from Sunbelt Rentals Film & TV (formerly William F. Whites). Suzan Mazur and Chantal Kemp served as co-producers, with Alison Reid (The Baby Formula) as director and writer. The Director of Photography was Canadian Screen Awards nominee and Gemini Awards winner Dale Hildebrand (Murdoch Mysteries, T O in 2 4). The role of Dagg is played by actress and singer-songwriter Lucy Ellis.

Historica Canada works closely with consultants to review the development, production, and post-production of every Minute. For the Anne Innis Dagg Minute, the organization worked with Dr. Joan Simalchik (Associate Professor Emeritus, women and gender studies expert), and Jason Pootoolal (zoologist and president of Save the Giraffes).

Historica Canada is a charitable organization committed to the belief that learning brings us together. The more we know and understand about one another, the better we understand Canada and our fellow Canadians. Our resources are available in both official languages and accessed by more than 28 million users annually. The Heritage Minutes collection, which now consists of more than 100 productions, is a bilingual Canadian series comprised of 60-second short films, each depicting a significant person, event, or story in Canadian history. 

Historica Canada

'When others forget, we remember'

SOURCE Historica Canada

Emilie Bourdages-Bittle, Communications Coordinator, [email protected], [phone]