Career
She was instrumental in creating sanctuaries to preserve the subspecies of the Rothschild"s giraffe in Kenya. Often called the "Giraffe Lady", she spent much of her life living and working in Kenya protecting and caring for the Rothschild"s giraffe population there, primarily through a breeding programme established at her residence, Giraffe Manor. During her time working there, the Rothschild"s giraffe population grew from about one hundred twenty to over four hundred.
As part of their fund-raising efforts, Betty and Jock Leslie-Melville collaborated on a series of books about animals, most of them characterised by Betty"s rather breathless style.
Raising Daisy Rothschild (1977) "the story of two delightful young people and how they raised and grew to love a young giraffe.. or two" became a best-seller. The books helped to raise more funds for the Giraffe Centre they set up at Langata, Kenya in 1983.