Giraffe

A giraffe is a giraffe, right? Actually, no it’s not. There are actually nine sub-species of giraffe.

Say hello to Rian, Rudi and Dr. Shrimp

At our very own Giraffe Heights walkway you can literally be as tall as a giraffe. As you stand head height with our herd.

All our giraffes are male so they live together quite happily. In Africa, they live in small numbers and the males and females (and their calves) stay apart, only coming together to mate.

Our giraffes are hybrid, this means they are a mixture of some of the nine sub-species and as such we will never breed from them. Many years ago (before we knew about all the sub-species) ‘giraffe’ were bred with ‘giraffe’. Today modern zoos, only breed giraffe of the same sub-species together. However, we are still part of a managed breeding programme and an important part of that breeding programme is to provide a home for hybrid males so other zoos can continue breeding.

They don’t call it a ‘Camelopardalis’ in Latin for nothing you know. Due to the slight hump on their back and the spotted patchwork pattern on their skin they were once referred to as a camel-leopard! All true…it’s no tall tale!

Conservation

Certain sub-species of giraffe are listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List due to the very small numbers remaining in the wild. Research is being carried out by various organisations to understand the wild populations and efforts are being made to protect their habitat and increase awareness of their plight.

 

Giraffe eating lucerne
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Adopt a giraffe

Love giraffes or know someone who does? We've got the perfect gift (you'll be helping to raise money for conservation too)!

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giraffes nuzzling each other
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Giraffe-cam

Tune in and see what the tallest residents on the zoo are up to outside on our giraffe live webcam

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Giraffe feeding at Folly Farm
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Feed a giraffe

You could have our giraffes literally eating out of the palm of your hand with this unique experience

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Zoo Membership

We're proud to be members of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) and the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA). Our membership means we share knowledge with leading zoos across the UK and Europe, and we learn from them too.