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Ugandan giraffe against a blue sky background

  • CLASS: Mammalia (Mammals)
  • ORDER: Artiodactyla
  • FAMILY: Giraffidae
  • GENUS: Giraffa
  • SPECIES: camelopardalis

Hello up there!  Why do so many people look up to giraffes—besides the obvious reason? The long and short of it is that they are a wonderful example of nature’s creativity. 

Giraffes are the tallest land animals. A giraffe could look into a second-story window without even having to stand on its tiptoes! A giraffe's 6-foot (1.8-meter) neck weighs about 600 pounds (272 kilograms). The legs of a giraffe are also 6 feet (1.8 meters) long. The back legs look shorter than the front legs, but they are about the same length. A giraffe's heart is 2 feet (0.6 meters) long and weighs about 25 pounds (11 kilograms), and its lungs can hold 12 gallons (55 liters) of air! Its closest relative is the okapi.

Giraffes have a small hump on their back and have a spotted pattern similar to that of a leopard. For a long time people called the giraffe a “camel-leopard,” because they believed that it was a combination of a camel and a leopard. That's where the giraffe's name  camelopardalis  comes from!

Although a study of giraffe genetics published in the scientific journal  Current Biology  concluded that there are actually four distinct species of giraffes—said to be as different from each other as polar bears are from brown bears—one is currently recognized, with nine subspecies. The subspecies have different coat patterns and live in different parts of Africa. Giraffe coat colors vary from light tan to practically black. The differences occur due to what the giraffes eat and where they live. Each individual giraffe’s markings are as individual as our fingerprints.

Masai giraffes, from Kenya, have patterns that look like oak leaves. Uganda or Rothschild's giraffes sport large, brown splotches separated by thick, beige lines. The reticulated giraffe, found only in northern Kenya, has a dark coat with a seeming web of narrow white lines.

How many bones are there in a giraffe's neck? Just like humans, giraffes have seven neck vertebrae. For giraffes, however, each one can be over 10 inches (25.4 centimeters) long! 

Both male and female giraffes have two distinct, hair-covered horns called ossicones. Male giraffes use their horns to spar, throwing their neck against each other. As a male matures, calcium deposits begin to form on his skull to protect it when he head-butts with other males. These calcifications can be quite pronounced, giving the strange appearance of a three- to five-horned giraffe.

Giraffes are so big that they really don't need to hide from predators. There is safety in numbers! It’s hard to pick out one giraffe from another when they form a tight group.

Besides humans, only lions and crocodiles hunt them. If they have to, giraffes defend themselves with a deadly kick, karate-style. Their speed, the way they move, and their body designs also help them to escape predators if they need to. Giraffes have a way of moving, or gait, in which both the front and back legs on one side move forward together, then the other two legs on the other side move forward. It’s called "pacing." Giraffes can run very fast—around 35 miles (56 kilometers) per hour for short distances.

You might think watching out for lions and spending 16 to 20 hours a day eating would all weigh heavily on a giraffe. Surprisingly enough, giraffes only need 5 to 30 minutes of sleep in a 24-hour period! They often achieve that in quick naps that may last only a minute or two at a time. Giraffes can rest while standing, but they sometimes also lie down with their head resting on their rump. That’s a vulnerable position for a giraffe, though, so usually one herd member stays on guard.

Many people think that giraffes have no voice, but they do make a variety of sounds, including moos, roars, snorts, hisses, and grunts. They just very rarely do so. One sound giraffes make when they’re alarmed is a snort. Threats—such as lions nearby—may warrant a snort. Giraffes are often the early warning signal for other savanna wildlife: if a giraffe herd starts to run, everyone else does, too! Studies suggest giraffes vocalize below the level of human hearing and perhaps use this sound for long-distance communication.

It’s easy to understand why giraffes top the list of so many people’s favorite wildlife. Their elegant stride, outrageous eyelashes, and calm expression give them an air of refinement.

HABITAT AND DIET

Blending right in: In a zoo, giraffes stand out. But think of giraffes' presence in their African habitat, where their coat patterns actually serve as camouflage, blending with shadows and leaves. Giraffes are well adapted for living on the open, tree-dotted African plains. While other African herbivores compete for grass and small plants to eat, giraffes have the high branches with tender, young leaves all to themselves.

It takes a lot of leaves to fuel such large creatures. Giraffes may eat up to 75 pounds (34 kilograms) of food per day. They spend most of their day eating, because they get just a few leaves in each bite. Their favorite leaves are from acacia trees. These trees have long thorns that keep most wildlife from eating them. But those thorns don't stop the giraffes! They simply use their 18-inch (46-centimeter) tongue and prehensile lips to reach around the thorns. It is thought that the dark color of their tongue protects them from getting sunburned while reaching for leaves. Giraffes also have thick, sticky saliva that coats any thorns they might swallow.

Giraffes are ruminants and have a stomach with four compartments that digests the leaves they eat. When giraffes aren't eating, they're chewing their cud. After giraffes swallow the leaves the first time, a ball of leaves travels all the way back up the throat into the mouth for more grinding.

Acacia leaves contain a lot of water, so giraffes can go a long time without drinking. When they do get thirsty, giraffes have to bend a long way down to drink from a lake or stream. When they're bent over, it is easier for a predator, like a crocodile, to grab hold of the giraffe. So, giraffes go to a watering hole together and take turns watching for predators. If water is easily available, they can drink 10 gallons (38 liters) a day.

FAMILY LIFE

When a giraffe baby, called a calf, is born, it comes into the world front feet first , followed by the head, neck, and shoulders. Its entry is like a slow-motion swan dive! Because the umbilical cord is only about 3 feet (1 meter) long, it breaks midway through the birth, allowing the newborn to drop to the ground. The fall and the landing don't hurt the calf, but they do cause it to take a big breath. The calf can stand up and walk after about an hour, and within a week, it starts to sample vegetation. Sometimes the mother leaves the calf alone for most of the day. The youngster sits quietly until she returns. 

When a calf gets older, the mother leaves her youngster together with other calves in a "nursery." One of the moms stays to babysit while the others go out to eat and socialize. In the nursery, the calves develop physical and social skills through play. Under the watchful eye of the designated babysitter, the youngsters explore their surroundings throughout the day. The young giraffes can eat leaves at the age of four months, but continue to nurse until they are six to nine months old.

CONSERVATION

In many African countries, giraffe populations are slowly decreasing because of habitat loss and the overgrazing of resources by livestock. As a result, the future of giraffes is dependent on the quality of the habitat that remains. Their numbers have decreased in the past century—one giraffe subspecies, the West African or Nigerian giraffe  Giraffa camelopardalis peralta,  is vulnerable; and another, the Uganda or Rothschild’s giraffe  G.c. rothschildi , is near threatened. While it has historically lived in western Kenya, Uganda, and southern Sudan, the Uganda giraffe has been almost totally eliminated from most of its former range and now survives in only a few small, isolated populations in Kenya and Uganda. The Nigerian giraffe is found in just one area of Niger, and it is considered the rarest of the giraffes.

The population of reticulated giraffes  G.c. reticulata  has dropped by an alarming 80 percent in just 10 years, most likely due to poaching. They are no match for humans with guns; giraffes are shot or snared for their meat, hide, bone marrow, and tail hair. Kenya is starting a giraffe conservation program for the three subspecies found there: reticulated, Uganda, and Masai giraffes  G.c. tippelskirchi .

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance supports a community conservation effort in northern Kenya that is finding ways for people and wildlife to live together. By supporting San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, you are our ally in saving and protecting wildlife worldwide.

Save Wildlife. Help us keep this and other species from disappearing forever.

15 to 20 years

Gestation: 14 months

Number of young at birth: Usually 1

Height at birth: 6 feet (1.8 meters)

Weight at birth: 100 to 220 pounds (45 to 100 kilograms)

Age of maturity: 3 to 5 years

Height: Females, up to 14 feet (4.3 meters); males, up to 18 feet (5.5 meters)

Weight: Females, up to 1,500 pounds (680 kilograms); males, up to 3,000 pounds (1,360 kilograms)

A giraffe's feet are the size of a dinner plate—12 inches across (30.5 centimeters).

The record running speed of a giraffe is 34.7 miles per hour (56 kilometers per hour).

A giraffe’s eyes are the size of golf balls.

Giraffe calves grow 1 inch (2.54 centimeters) each day during their first week.

DISCOVER WILDLIFE

More animals & plants from san diego zoo and san diego zoo safari park.

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san diego safari park giraffe

Msituni the Giraffe Calf Is Up and Running

A baby giraffe, called a calf, can stand up and walk about an hour after it comes into the world, front feet first. At least, it should be able to. That wasn’t the case with Msituni (see-TOO-nee), a giraffe born at the Safari Park February 1, 2022. Matt Kinney, DVM, senior veterinarian at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and his team were quick to respond. “Our wildlife care specialists and veterinary team have worked with a number of giraffe calves, and we were quickly able to recognize that this calf needed our help,” he said.

Lauren Howard, DVM, is director of veterinary services at the Safari Park. “The day Msituni was born, we saw that one of her front legs was unstable, making it difficult for her to stand and walk,” Dr. Howard said. “She wasn’t able to keep up with her mom and the herd.” That in itself is a serious situation for a giraffe calf, which must be able to stand to suckle from its mother, and to follow her across the African savanna.

In Msituni’s case, her front legs were bending improperly. The very day she was born, Dr. Howard and Dr. Kinney quickly realized that Msituni would need significant medical intervention. “Our immediate actions for Msituni were aimed to minimize long-term joint damage, and do our best to ensure she has a long, healthy life free of future joint disease and arthritis,” she said. “This required pretty extreme action initially, including electing to bottle raise her because her injuries prevented her from staying with her mom. It was a tough decision, and it was the right one for her long-term health.” 

At SDZWA’s Paul Harter Veterinary Medical Clinic, detailed 3D imaging of Msituni’s legs provided further information. The care team determined that specialized hoof extenders should be able to fix the irregular position of Msituni’s back legs, but the next question was where to find specialized giraffe orthotics. It goes without saying—that was no easy task. “Her size made finding flexible, but strong, supports for her legs very challenging,” said Dr. Howard.

The solution came in partnership with Hanger Clinic, a nationwide provider of outcomes-based orthotic and prosthetic (O&P) care. While the company focuses on care for humans, members of the San Diego-based Hanger Clinic team consulted with Safari Park wildlife care staff. Together, they got moldings of Msituni’s legs so they could craft custom hinged orthotic braces for the calf. “There was a lot of science behind the brace manufacturing, but also a significant amount of art and creativity needed to make sure it was applied and adjusted appropriately to make sure Msituni could lay down, stand, walk, and run like a healthy giraffe,” said Dr. Kinney.

Ultimately, the treatments were a success. After about two months, with her legs correctly positioned, caregivers were able to remove her leg braces. Today, Msituni can be found frolicking with the rest of the giraffe herd in the Safari Park’s 60-acre East Africa savanna habitat, including another female calf named Nuru, born just four days after Msituni.

san diego safari park giraffe

There were numerous challenges along the way to Msituni’s recovery. “Caring for Msituni involved numerous individuals and departments within SDZWA and established a relationship with some amazing individuals at the Hanger company that designed and manufactured the brace,” said Dr. Kinney. “This case is an excellent example of the value of collaboration and alliance. To address the complex challenges that face wildlife, we need to work together, and this case exemplifies that need.” 

Dr. Howard agrees. “It was rewarding to use our veterinary expertise and problem-solving skills to reverse what could have easily been a fatal condition,” she says. “Meeting new colleagues at Hanger and working through the technical challenges with that great group of people was key, too.”

“Our team often interacts with animals when they are the sickest and most vulnerable,” said Dr. Kinney. “Every time we see Msituni in the complex field habitat with other giraffes, we are reminded that our hard work in this case led to a successful outcome.” Both veterinarians are guided by SDZWA’s vision for the future—a world where all life thrives. “’Thrive’ means not just to survive, but also to live your best life,” says Dr. Howard.

Science teams have estimated that fewer than 100,000 giraffes are left in their native habitats—a decrease of more than 40 percent over the last 20 years. The downward trend is due to habitat loss and fragmentation, as well as poaching in certain regions. SDZWA partners with numerous conservation organizations on large-scale conservation projects, in an effort to slow and eventually stop the continued decline of giraffe populations.

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san diego safari park giraffe

Conservation Status: IUCN Red List – Critically Endangered to Least Concern

Threats to Survival: Habitat loss and degradation; climate change; poaching

Reticulated Giraffe Conservation Work

95% of the reticulated giraffe’s range is shared with pastoralists and their livestock. The Twiga Walinzi initiative, a partnership with Giraffe Conservation Foundation and others, is a community-led conservation program that works hand-in-hand with pastoralists. The program’s primary goals are: 1) gathering data on giraffe population numbers, seasonal habitat usage and movement patterns, and interactions with livestock; 2) gathering social science data on co-existence and conflict between giraffe, people, and livestock; 3) increasing giraffe protection through community outreach and education; 4) building in-country capacity around giraffe conservation; and 5) supporting the operations of community conservancies and specialized anti-poaching teams. As part of this work, we co-lead the Twiga Tracker initiative, which aims to attach satellite tracking units on 250 giraffe of all four species. This will allow us to better understand giraffe home ranges, seasonal migrations, habitat preferences, and impacts of human infrastructure.

Key Partnerships

Working with Giraffe Conservation Foundation and local government, we assist in the translocation and reintroduction of giraffe into areas from which they have been extirpated, including Niger and Uganda. In partnership with Giraffe Conservation Foundation and the University of Oxford, we conducted the first-ever trade assessment for giraffe and giraffe parts across Africa. Gathering these baseline data have been key to better understanding the dynamics of this trade and the extent to which it impacts giraffe conservation. In northern Kenya, we are leading a cutting edge social science research initiative to understand the localized trade and consumption of giraffe meat, allowing us to conduct more effective, tailored, demand-reduction campaigns.

Giraffe Genome Sequencing

The Genome10K Project, which has sequenced more than 200 vertebrate genomes, is completing sequencing of the giraffe using tissue samples from our Frozen Zoo® . Information encoded in the genomes of threatened and endangered species revealed by the Genome10K project will be instrumental to conservation efforts, contributing new information on life history, genetic disease and disease risk factors, and population dynamics. This information will significantly increase our understanding of how to sustainably manage reticulated giraffe populations.

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Giraffe standing next to a refrigerator

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A giraffe walks on a grassy hill in front of four other herd members in the distance.

Enjoy the view

Giraffes are the tallest land animals. A giraffe could look into a second-story window without even having to stand on its tiptoes! A giraffe's 6-foot-long neck weighs about 600 pounds. The legs of a giraffe are also 6 feet long. The back legs look shorter than the front legs, but they are about the same length.

Pair of Masai giraffes

"Spot" the subspecies

There is only one species of giraffe. The recognized subspecies include reticulated, Nubian, Uganda or Baringo, Masai, Angolan, and southern. The different kinds can be recognized by their spots and also by where they live in Africa.

Masai, Reticulated, Ugandan, and Rothschild giraffe patterns

Seeing spots

Masai giraffes, from Kenya, have spots that look like oak leaves. Other kinds have a square-shaped pattern that looks like the giraffe is covered by a net. Some zoologists think that the giraffe's pattern is for camouflage.

Sparring Giraffes

Use your horn(s)

Both male and female giraffes have two distinct, hair-covered horns called ossicones. Male giraffes use they horns to playfully fight with one another.

Eight giraffes along a green hilly landscape

A giraffe's feet are the size of a dinner plate—12 inches across.

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Msituni, the giraffe calf born with a disorder that caused her legs to bend the wrong way, at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido.

‘We saved a giraffe’s life’: calf fitted with braces to correct bent legs

Msituni was born with her front limb bending the wrong way, and her other front limb started to hyperextend

Over the past three decades Ara Mirzaian has fitted braces for everyone from Paralympians to children with scoliosis. But Msituni was a patient like none other: a newborn giraffe.

The calf was born 1 February at the San Diego zoo safari park in Escondido, north of San Diego, with her front limb bending the wrong way. Safari park staff feared she could die if they didn’t immediately correct the condition, which could prevent her from nursing and walking around the habitat.

But they had no experience with fitting a baby giraffe with a brace. That proved especially challenging given she was a 5ft 10in (178cm) newborn and growing taller every day. So, they contacted experts in orthotics at the Hanger clinic, where Mirzaian landed his very first animal patient.

“It was pretty surreal when I first heard about it,” Mirzaian told the Associated Press this week during a tour to meet Msituni, who was strutting alongside the other giraffes with no troubles. “Of course, all I did was go online and study giraffes for like 24/7 until we got out here.”

Zoos increasingly are turning to medical professionals who treat people to find solutions for ailing animals. The collaboration has been especially helpful in the field of prosthetics and orthotics. Earlier this year, ZooTampa in Florida teamed up with similar experts to successfully replace the beak of a cancer-stricken great hornbill bird with a 3D-printed prosthetic.

Msituni is seen at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in February 2022.

The Hanger team in California had fit orthotics for a cyclist and kayaker who both went on to win medals at the 2016 Paralympics in Brazil and customized a brace for a marathoner with multiple sclerosis who raced in seven continents.

And in 2006, a Hanger team in Florida created a prosthetic for a bottlenose dolphin that had lost its tail after becoming tangled in ropes from a crab trap. Their story inspired the 2011 movie Dolphin Tale.

But this was a definite learning curve for all, including Matt Kinney, a senior veterinarian for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance in charge of Msituni’s case.

“We commonly put on casts and bandages and stuff. But something that extensive, like this brace that she was provided, that’s something we really had to turn to our human [medicine] colleagues for,” Kinney said.

Msituni suffered from hyperextended carpi, wrist joint bones in giraffes’ front limbs, which are more like arms. As she overcompensated, the second front limb started to hyperextend as well. Her back leg joints also were weak but were able to be corrected with specialized hoof extenders. And given that she weighed more than 100lb (55kg) at birth, the abnormality was already taking its toll on her joints and bones.

While the custom braces were being built, Kinney first bought post-surgery knee braces at Target that he cut up and re-sewed, but they kept slipping off. Then Msituni wore medical grade braces for humans that were modified for her long legs. But eventually Msituni broke one.

For the custom braces to work, they would need to have a range of motion but be durable, so Hanger worked with a company that makes horse braces.

Using cast moldings of the giraffe’s legs, it took eight days to make the carbon graphite braces that featured the animal’s distinct pattern of crooked spots to match her fur.

“We put on the giraffe pattern just to make it fun,” Mirzaian said. “We do this with kids all the time. They get to pick super-heroes, or their favorite team and we imprint it on their bracing. So why not do it with a giraffe?”

In the end, Msituni only needed one brace. The other leg corrected itself with the medical grade brace.

When they put her under to fit the custom brace, Mirzaian was so moved by the animal’s beauty, he gave her a hug.

“It was just amazing seeing such a big, beautiful creature just laying there in front of me,” he said.

After 10 days in the custom brace, the problem was corrected.

All told, she was in braces for 39 days from the day she was born. She stayed in the animal hospital the entire time. After that, she was slowly introduced to her mom and others in the herd. Her mom never took her back, but another female giraffe has adopted her, so to speak, and she now runs along like the other giraffes.

Mirzaian hopes to hang up a picture of the baby giraffe in her patterned brace so the kids he treats will be inspired to wear theirs.

“It was the coolest thing to see an animal like that walk in a brace,” he said. “It feels good to know we saved a giraffe’s life.”

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World Giraffe Day

Join us at the San Diego Zoo on Tuesday, June 21, as we celebrate World Giraffe Day. With interactive experiences, insights from wildlife care specialists, and fun surprises for the whole family, this will certainly be a day to remember as we celebrate the tallest land animals on the planet!

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Meet a Giraffe, Ask an Ally!

  • Select times, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
  • Giraffe Habitat

Enjoy exclusive opportunities to meet with wildlife care specialists, horticulturists, and conservation scientists to learn more about the incredible conservation efforts you make possible for giraffes at the San Diego Zoo and around the world.

  • 10:15 a.m. – Special Experiences at the Giraffe Habitat
  • 10:30 a.m. – Horticulturist Talk
  • 11 a.m. – Conservation Scientist Talk
  • 11:45 a.m. – Wildlife Care Specialist Talk
  • Noon to 1 p.m. – Feed a Giraffe!
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  • 2 p.m. – Conservation Scientist Talk
  • 2:30 p.m. – Wildlife Care Specialist Talk

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  • 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

Learn about giraffes from our team of wildlife care specialists, and take a peek behind the scenes to see how we care for our tower of giraffes.

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Spot the Giraffe

Did you know every giraffe has a unique pattern of spots? Become a field scientist for the day, and help us match the neck patterns of our giraffe tower. While you're there, meet everyone's favorite conservationist, Dr. Zoolittle, who will answer all your wildlife questions—big and small!

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Giraffe Crafts

Giraffe spots are just like our fingerprints—they are unique for every individual animal. Show your spots and create a one-of-kind giraffe headband or finger puppet to take home and celebrate giraffes all year long. 

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  • $55 and up, per person
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Sit back in the comfort of your own expedition cart on a Discovery Cart Tour , as you enjoy a 60-minute tour of the Zoo with one of our expert guides and experience wildlife like never before. Or join us on a Giraffes & Friends Inside Look Tour , a 90-minute adventure that will take you behind the scenes to experience how we care for giraffes, as well as a tour around the Zoo with stops to visit other wildlife up close—it's a special experience you'll cherish forever!

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Show Your Spirit

  • Monday, June 20 and Tuesday, June 21
  • Sydney's Shoppe

Share your love for giraffes and support our conservation work with a commemorative World Giraffe Day T-shirt! Each purchase will support our critical conservation efforts for giraffes and other incredible wildlife worldwide.

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Adopt a Giraffe

Your symbolic adoption of a giraffe supports critical conservation benefitting giraffes and other wildlife around the world.

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As an ally, you’re investing in the future of the planet we share. Your monthly gift helps create a world where all life thrives.

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San Diego Zoo Safari Park Announces Winning Name of Giraffe Calf

The name is derived from arabic origins. the other name voters could have chosen in the poll was zeena, by city news service • published may 10, 2020 • updated on may 11, 2020 at 9:46 am.

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park announced the name of a giraffe calf born April 4.

The winning name of the female calf -- after a week-long online poll of more than 18,000 voters -- is Zahara, San Diego Zoo Global officials said.

The name is derived from Arabic origins. The other name voters could have chosen in the poll was Zeena.

Zahara was born to first-time mom Zawadi.

san diego safari park giraffe

Although the Safari Park and the San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park are temporarily closed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, visitors to the Safari Park website can watch Zahara on Giraffe Cam as she explores her home.

"This calf is normally so very calm and collected," said Matt Galvin, lead wildlife care specialist at the Safari Park. "Not much bothers her. She is usually content to nap in the shade while the adults browse nearby, but we've noticed on occasion, she does get overly excited and zooms through the savanna."

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It's estimated by scientists that there are fewer than 100,000 giraffes left in their native habitats, a decrease of more than 40% over the last 20 years, researchers said.

"Despite the grim status of giraffes overall, we are seeing signs of hope with a few giraffe populations, leading us to believe our efforts are indeed working," said David O'Connor, a researcher for San Diego Zoo Global.

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Get ready for an experience you’ll always remember!

Want to get up close and personal with your favorite wildlife, sit back and relax, or tackle a challenging adventure? Choose your safari!

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Butterfly Jungle Safari

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Visit Butterfly Jungle in an all new way! Learn about the butterfly life cycle on your way into the Hidden Jungle aviary, then become immersed in the wonder of colorful, fluttering butterflies.

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Travel in the back of a covered, open-air safari truck into our expansive savanna habitats, with an expert guide.  

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  • Ages 8 & up
  • $81 & up per person

Soar as high as 130 feet above the ground, with a spectacular bird’s-eye view of rhinos, giraffes, and other wildlife in the savanna habitats below you.

tiger

Wildlife Trek

  • $29 & up per person

Walk through the Safari Park to see a variety of wildlife in this exciting walking tour!

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Gorilla Shadow

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NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Public Relations 619-685-3291 [email protected] sdzwa.org

PRESS ROOM: sdzwa.org/pr/pandas-san-diego-zoo-2024

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and China Wildlife Conservation Association Sign a New Cooperative Agreement for Giant Panda Collaboration

Process Begins for Giant Pandas Potential Return to the San Diego Zoo

SAN DIEGO (Feb. 22, 2024) – San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) took an important step forward in having giant pandas return to the San Diego Zoo by signing a cooperative agreement with China Wildlife Conservation Association and filing a permit application with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service .

SDZWA has a nearly 30-year conservation partnership with research collaborators in China focused on protecting and recovering giant pandas. These collaborative efforts have had a significant impact—including, increased scientific understanding of giant panda biology, care and wellness, and what pandas need to thrive in a changing climate—contributing directly to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List downgrading the giant panda from Endangered to Vulnerable in 2021. But there is still much more work to do to secure their safe future.

“We are humbled by the potential opportunity of continuing our collaborative conservation efforts to secure the future for giant pandas. As such, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is taking important steps to ensure we are prepared for a potential return. This includes sharing our detailed conservation plans with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure alignment for the greater benefit of giant pandas,” said Dr. Megan Owen, Vice President of Conservation Science.

Collaboration between SDZWA and Chinese research partners has contributed to critically important and far-reaching discoveries as well as scientific contributions that have played a meaningful role in China’s efforts to bring the iconic and beloved giant panda back from the brink of extinction. These include critical findings on giant panda reproductive behavior and physiology, nutritional requirements, habitat needs and genetic research among other areas of focus. The efforts include developing a giant panda milk formula and other neonatal conservation techniques that dramatically increased survival rates for nursery-reared cubs from 5% to 95%, the first successful artificial insemination of a giant panda outside of China and contributing valuable expertise to efforts led by Chinese scientists to track wild giant pandas at the Foping National Nature Reserve using GPS technology.

Although the conservation status of the giant panda is improving, there is still much work needed to ensure they remain on the path to recovery with healthy and flourishing populations.

Climate change, habitat fragmentation and population isolation are some of the pressures facing giant pandas. SDZWA’s proposed conservation strategy aims to improve giant panda population health and resilience in some of the smallest and most isolated populations vulnerable to extinction and loss of genetic diversity.

“Pandas in our care and in the care of Chinese colleagues at conservation facilities play an important role as assurance against extinction and loss of genetic diversity in their native habitats, as well as a source population for reintroductions,” said Dr. Owen. “Our partnership over the decades has served as a powerful example of how—when we work together—we can achieve what was once thought to be impossible . San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is uniquely positioned to collaborate toward a shared goal of creating a sustainable future for giant pandas.”

About San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, a nonprofit conservation leader, inspires passion for nature and collaboration for a healthier world. The Alliance supports innovative conservation science through global partnerships. Through wildlife care, science expertise and collaboration, more than 44 endangered species have been reintroduced to native habitats. Annually, the Alliance reaches over 1 billion people, in person at the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and virtually in 150 countries through media channels, including San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers television programming in children’s hospitals in 14 countries. Wildlife Allies—members, donors and guests—make success possible. 

Link includes (Credit: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance)

  • Stock B-roll of pandas at the San Diego Zoo
  • T07-0544-006 - 7/11/2007, Mei Sheng
  • T08_0957_018 - 12/18/2008, Bai Yun and Zhen Zhen
  • T10_0065_016 - 1/12/2010, Yun Zi
  • T10_0565_002 - 7/20/2010, Yun Zi
  • T12_0777_067 - 12/31/2012, Xiao Liwu
  • T12_0777_115 - 12/31/2012, Xiao Liwu
  • T15_0186_002 - 3/11/2015, Xiao Liwu
  • T15_0186_048 - 3/11/2015, Xiao Liwu
  • T16_0469_016 - 7/22/2016, Bai Yun
  • T19_0223_002 - 4/6/2019, Bai Yun
  • T19_0223_021 - 4/6/2019, Bai Yun
  • San Diego Zoo Tickets
  • Safari Park Tickets

NBC Los Angeles

Flutter by a beautiful ‘Butterfly Jungle Safari' at San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Roam "a world of color" and learn about these enchanting insects at the escondido animal park., by alysia gray painter • published february 23, 2024 • updated on february 23, 2024 at 5:53 pm, what to know.

  • Butterfly Jungle Safari tickets go on sale the week of Feb. 26, 2024
  • March 18 through May 14 (daily)
  • $15 per person (ages 1 and up); admission to San Diego Zoo Safari Park is separately priced and is required

THE FABULOUS FLYERS... that whimsically wing their way through an ethereal aviary at San Diego Zoo Safari Park each spring boast names that sound as if they hail straight from a magical poem: There's the Orange Julia (the butterfly's bright hue backs up this marvelous moniker), the Zebra Longwing (stripes do add visual razzmatazz), and the Paper Kite (a complex pattern lends this little critter so much loveliness). Really, though, there are no prosaic labels in the realm of butterflydom, for each butterfly wears their hallowed handle as lightly as they land upon a leaf. If you're ready for a season that is inherently woven through with poetic moments — that would be soft and sweet springtime, of course — then you're likely ready to join the Butterfly Jungle Safari , which alights in Escondido around mid-March, fluttering for a nearly two-month engagement in the Hidden Jungle.

EVEN THE FLOWERS... have fanciful names in the aviary — you may come across wallflowers and pincushions, if you keep your peepers peeled — but it isn't all about being under a storybook-like spell. The amazing science behind how butterflies pollinate, and the important roles they play in the natural world, will also be front-and-centered during the popular event. It's an experience that runs for a tantalizing 20 minutes, and snapping pictures is what plenty of visitors do, though some come just to bask in the beauty. Note that your $15 ticket doesn't also include admission to Safari Park; that is separately priced, so be sure to book both if you plan to soar by this seasonal safari, a favorite of flutterby, er, butterfly fans near and far.

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This article tagged under:

san diego safari park giraffe

IMAGES

  1. World Giraffe Day Is in the Sky-High Spotlight

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  2. Giraffes

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  3. Wildlife Safari

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  4. Feeding the giraffes at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park #giraffe #sandiego #zoo #safari #park

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  5. San Diego Safari Park’s baby giraffe Kumi euthanized after being gored

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  6. Giraffe

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VIDEO

  1. San Diego Zoo Kids

  2. San Diego Zoo Safari Park

  3. Giraffe calf with braces receives a new lease on life 🦒

  4. San Diego zoo-safari park

  5. San Diego Zoo Safari Park HD 1080p

  6. Flightline Safari San Diego Zoo Safari Park 2024

COMMENTS

  1. Giraffe

    The Uganda giraffe is the only endangered giraffe subspecies. It survives in a few small, isolated populations in Kenya and Uganda. Yet at the Safari Park, we have had over 100 births so far in our large African Plains habitat! You can admire our giraffes from the African Plains' Kijamii Overlook, from the Africa Tram, or from a Wildlife Safari ...

  2. Giraffe Cam

    Day and Night. You are watching archive of Giraffes, rhinos, and more! Enjoy this view of the African Plains habitat that comes to you from the Kijamii Overlook at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. And help us save giraffes by joining our community science program: Wildwatch Kenya.

  3. Giraffe

    All Wildlife. Location: Urban Jungle. Conservation Status: Threatened. Our giraffe habitat lets you get amazingly close to these tremendously tall creatures. A giraffe could look into a second-story window without even having to stand on its tiptoes! There is only one giraffe species, but there are several subspecies—two of which are endangered.

  4. Giraffe Cam

    Giraffe Cam Giraffes, rhinos, and more! Enjoy this live view of the African Plains habitat that comes to you from the Kijamii Overlook at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Visit. San Diego Zoo; San Diego Zoo Safari Park; News & Resources. Animals & Plants; Journal; Podcasts; Discover. Academy; Press Room; Get Involved.

  5. Live Cameras

    Cams at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and San Diego Zoo. SAFARI PARK Platypus Cam. VIEW CAM. SAFARI PARK Giraffe Cam. VIEW CAM. SAFARI PARK Tiger Cam. VIEW CAM. SAFARI PARK Burrowing Owl Cams. VIEW CAMS. SAFARI PARK Condor Cam. VIEW CAM. SAN DIEGO ZOO Ape Cam. VIEW CAM. SAN DIEGO ZOO Baboon Cam.

  6. Giraffe

    A giraffe could look into a second-story window without even having to stand on its tiptoes! A giraffe's 6-foot (1.8-meter) neck weighs about 600 pounds (272 kilograms). The legs of a giraffe are also 6 feet (1.8 meters) long. The back legs look shorter than the front legs, but they are about the same length.

  7. A Giraffic Month: Two Giraffes Born at the Safari Park

    By Public Relations On July 20, 2017. The giraffe herd at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park has grown, after two female giraffe calves were born in the Park's large field habitats this month. Two-week-old Tamaza was born in the Southern Africa habitat's boma (or barn) to mom Gasira. And less than a week earlier, another giraffe calf—not yet ...

  8. Msituni the Giraffe Calf Is Up and Running

    A baby giraffe, called a calf, can stand up and walk about an hour after it comes into the world, front feet first. At least, it should be able to. That wasn't the case with Msituni (see-TOO-nee), a giraffe born at the Safari Park February 1, 2022. Matt Kinney, DVM, senior veterinarian at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and his team were quick ...

  9. Animals & Gardens

    Explore the animals and gardens you will encounter on a visit to the Safari Park. ANIMALS ABDIM'S STORK. ... GIRAFFE. Giraffes are the tallest land animals, able to nibble the highest leaves in Africa's acacia trees! ... San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is a 501(c)(3) organization. Visit. Membership; Plan Your Visit; Places to Stay;

  10. NEWS RELEASE

    SAN DIEGO (May 12, 2022) - A 3-month-old giraffe calf at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park has received a new lease on life, thanks to swift intervention by the conservation organization's wildlife health and wildlife care teams to correct abnormalities that threatened the calf's survival. The female youngster—named Msituni (pronounced see tune neee), which means "in the forest" in ...

  11. Giraffe

    Conservation Status: IUCN Red List - Critically Endangered to Least ConcernThreats to Survival: Habitat loss and degradation; climate change; poaching Reticulated Giraffe Conservation Work95% of the reticulated giraffe's range is shared with pastoralists and their livestock. The Twiga Walinzi initiative, a partnership with Giraffe Conservation Foundation and others, is a community-led ...

  12. Meet the San Diego Zoo Safari Park's newest giraffe: Zahara

    NORTH COUNTY (CNS) - The San Diego Zoo Safari Park in the San Pasqual Valley Sunday announced the name of a giraffe calf born April 4. The winning name of the female calf — after a week-long ...

  13. Giraffe

    A giraffe's 6-foot-long neck weighs about 600 pounds. The legs of a giraffe are also 6 feet long. The back legs look shorter than the front legs, but they are about the same length. ... San Diego Zoo; San Diego Zoo Safari Park; News & Resources. Animals & Plants; Journal; Podcasts; Discover. Academy; Press Room; Get Involved.

  14. Baby Giraffe Born at San Diego Zoo Safari Park Euthanized Two Days

    This unnamed giraffe calf was born at the San Diego Zoo on what would have been the late Betty White's 100th birthday. The San Diego Zoo Safari Park reported Thursday that the 2-day-old male ...

  15. 'We saved a giraffe's life': calf fitted with braces to correct bent

    But Msituni was a patient like none other: a newborn giraffe. The calf was born 1 February at the San Diego zoo safari park in Escondido, north of San Diego, with her front limb bending the wrong ...

  16. Meet Elliott, San Diego Zoo Safari Park's newest giraffe calf

    Facebook. Breaking News. More () ». Meet Elliott, San Diego Zoo Safari Park's newest giraffe calf. 1/4. San Diego Zoo Safari Park. 2/4. San Diego Zoo Safari Park. 3/4.

  17. World Giraffe Day

    Enjoy exclusive opportunities to meet with wildlife care specialists, horticulturists, and conservation scientists to learn more about the incredible conservation efforts you make possible for giraffes at the San Diego Zoo and around the world. 10:15 a.m. - Special Experiences at the Giraffe Habitat ; 10:30 a.m. - Horticulturist Talk

  18. San Diego Zoo Safari Park Announces Winning Name of Giraffe Calf

    The San Diego Zoo Safari Park announced the name of a giraffe calf born April 4. The winning name of the female calf — after a week-long online poll of more than 18,000 voters — is Zahara, San ...

  19. San Diego Zoo Safari Park Welcomes Baby Giraffe

    The San Diego Zoo Safari Park welcomed its first giraffe calf of 2022. ... News / Jan 18, 2022 / 09:04 AM PST. The San Diego Zoo Safari Park welcomed its first giraffe calf of 2022.

  20. Giraffe

    Your $1,000 Giraffe Adoption package includes 1 soft 12" giraffe plush, a 5" x 7" Giraffe Adoption card, a backpack, a beach towel, a thermos, a limited edition San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance pin, and a 50% discount gift voucher for one guest on select tours at the San Diego Zoo or Safari Park.

  21. World Giraffe Day

    When 4-month old giraffe calf Msituni (pronounced see-tune-nee) was born at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on February 1, she had some trouble with her legs, making it difficult for her to stand or walk. With your support, and the help of local partners, we were able to fit Msituni with a pair of specialized leg braces, giving her the support she needed—and a new lease on life!

  22. Safaris

    Flightline Safari. Ages 8 & up. $81 & up per person. Soar as high as 130 feet above the ground, with a spectacular bird's-eye view of rhinos, giraffes, and other wildlife in the savanna habitats below you. READ MORE.

  23. San Diego Zoo Safari Park

    The San Diego Zoo Safari Park, originally named the San Diego Wild Animal Park until 2010, is an 1800-acre (730 ha) zoo in the San Pasqual Valley area of San Diego, California, near Escondido.It is one of the largest tourist attractions in San Diego County.The park houses a large array of wild and endangered (some critically) animals from every continent, except Antarctica; this includes the ...

  24. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and China Wildlife Conservation

    San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Public Relations 619-685-3291 [email protected] sdzwa.org. ... Annually, the Alliance reaches over 1 billion people, in person at the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and virtually in 150 countries through media channels, including San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers television programming in ...

  25. Flutter by a beautiful 'Butterfly Jungle Safari' at San Diego Zoo

    What to Know. Butterfly Jungle Safari tickets go on sale the week of Feb. 26, 2024; March 18 through May 14 (daily) $15 per person (ages 1 and up); admission to San Diego Zoo Safari Park is ...