Giraffes in European zoos

Giraffes in European zoos
19-04-2008

Another day, another thread ... so to speak!

Giraffes have always elicitted frank and open responses among the zoo going public. They are impressive mega vertebrates and look cuddly enough (obviously ... that is far from the truth). Their lifestyle on the savannah is semi nomadic in loose female bonded groupings with territorial males of whom only the dominants mate the females.

In European zoos we have an amalgamation of several giraffe subspecies (I herewith categorically state that the recent BBC news item of US based research on giraffe taxonomics is most definitely not the end debate on redefinition or individual (sub-)species status). Alas a large number (72.117) of hybrid giraffes exists. EAZA zoos are thankfully actually phasing them out by careful studbook management of all giraffes in Europe. The policy is to gradually reduce their number in experienced giraffe holders and replace them with pure-bred animals from within the 6 individual EEP giraffe programmes. The hybrids will then be relocated to EAZA zoos interested in starting with giraffes to gain experience (that way we do not loose sight of these either and have the unfortunate real chance that these may blow back into any pure-bred giraffe programmes).

The main pure-bred breeding population is the Rothschildt's giraffe (90.139 in 2005), followed on by reticulated giraffe (52.49 in 2005) and Nigerien giraffe (19.38) in third. Small groupings of Angolan (5.12) and Cape giraffe (16.19) also exist. The Masai giraffe (3.4 in 2005) is in my belief on the way out and I would personally prefer these to go to US SSP for integration into the far larger Masai giraffe SSP herd (okapikpr will surely confirm that).

In the longterm I do hope EAZA will target only the Rothschildt's (critically endangered), reticulated (endangered, allthough no definite data on Somali/Ethiopian giraffes exist) and Nigerien (critically endangered) and monitor only the hybrids. Angolans, Capes and Masai should be integrated with other regions structured giraffe breeding programmes.

So far, a status update (all be it an 2005 definite one, but ISIS does not fully expose all giraffe listings in Europe as a considerable number of zoos are yet to join ... I hope with ZIMS it will be mega different!)

20-04-2008

Wow, you guys have an awesome diversity of giraffes. Are there any zoos that hold more that one subspecies in their respective herds?

20-04-2008

(I would almost say of course) Dvur Kralové holds 2 herds of giraffes, one Rothschildts and one reticulated...

Amersfoort Zoo holds a bachelor herd of different subspecies, but other then perhaps another bachelor herd or a group with hybrids mixed in i don't know any other zoo that holds different subspecies...

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20-04-2008

In the Uk all the prebred holders have Rothschilds except Whipsnade which has Reticulated(but currently only one female). Several others still hold hybrid/mixed race groups(e.g. Marwell, ZSL)

20-04-2008

I believe Dresden is starting a bachlor herd as well with different subspecies.

@ jelle: Where can we find cape giraffes in europe?

Since 2005 the angolan and massai population haven't improved very much. For massai-giraffes Basel is about the only one with a herd, but they lost their male and are now left with only females. In italy is a lone animal (female?) in the safaripark near verona/bussolengo (i saw it years ago, it lived together with, i think it were, rothschilds). then there is a couple of massai giraffes in Israel, at that all (right? please correct me if i'm wrong).

the angolan population is a bit larger but also approaching the end of its existence when you ask me. Dortmund and Neunkirchen have both lost their breedingmales, leaving dortmund with a group of females and a recently born male and neunkirchen with only 0,2 (the young female died as well). Dortmund was planning to switch males with lisbon, but now that dortmund has lost their male its not clear whether lisbon is sending theirs over. Dortmund will probably send their young male in the future but he is far to young at this moment. The last zoo with angolans is Selwo/estepona (or are there more?). In estepona is a group of 1,2 young animals from lisbon. So lisbon is the only one who is now able to breed this subspecies and estepona in the future.

20-04-2008

What subspecies are Antwerp's giraffes?
Are they down to breed soon?

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20-04-2008

Bratislava (Slowakia) holds a small bachelor group consisting of Rotschilds nad reticulateds.

I wish that phasing out of hybrid individuals could ran more quickly than what I can see now, there are still enough holdings which breeds them freely. According to your listing, Jelle, there are over 600 giraffes within european zoos. And I am sure additional capacity will be available within next few years (just in my country, 3 zoos are planning to start with giraffes). It affords the oportunity to maintain at least 3 (or even 4!) different subspecies in sustainable numbers some times in the future (when all the hybrids are phased out).

20-04-2008

They were thought to be different from all other giraffes kept in europe. They were called G.c.antiquorum (The zoo always reffered to them as Nubian giraffes). But after recent dna-studies on the G.c.peralta animals (mainly kept in france) those 2 populations seem to be 1 subspecies. I believe they are now all called G.c.antiquorum (they are the nigerian group jelle was referring to)
Antwerp received a new male from a french zoo a couple of months back (baridi is his name). So in the future they will breed again (Baridi is still quite small, so i think that he needs to grow before he can mate the females succesfully, especially the 2 bigger females are out of reach for now)

21-04-2008

Trebaruna,

I would be mega careful with this US borne DNA research. Their sampling was only on parts of the entire African giraffe genome, so their conclusions are a bit stretched in conservation science terms. Oh and there also is the taxonomic and morphological research that was completely left out of the scientific equation.

Just for pointers: a couple of years back an esteemed US researcher announced on the basis of his DNA data that all leopards south of the Sahara should be reclassified as one single subspecies. I mean that is rich ... that is and it has since been proven hopelessly wrong. So, scientists are also human and some are just desperate to publish and publish (every citation gets your name around), so try and take scientific pubs as a tool/instrument and not a be and end all of civilisation!

In short, treat G. camelopardalis peralta (Niger, Nigeria, western Chad)and G. camelopardalis nominate race (Nubia, Kordofan, Ethiopia) as separate subspecies YET.

Oh, and you are right ... Massai and Angolans are on the way out (does that not sound familiar to our Aussie friends down under)! I wish a concerted effort where made to establish 4 different subspecies of giraffe within EAZA zoos and leave the Massai giraffe totally to SSP (they have a large pure-bred breeding population). This would free up space in 4 different zoos in Europe for pure-bred peralta or reticulata.

Tomorrow, I will start to post new births in the different giraffe subspecies.

21-04-2008

Ah...the age old debate of splitters vs clumpers - the biggest mystery of all nature

21-04-2008

@ jelle: Perhaps my explanation wasn't very clear, but i diddn't mean that the subspecies antiqourum & peralta are now taxonomically joined. Only that the animals in zoos formerly belonging to antiquorum& peralta have been tested, and apparently they belong to the same subspecies. So the "french giraffes" and the "antwerp giraffes" we thought to be different, probably because they were caught at different locations in africa, but those locations apparently happend to be occupied by the same subspecies. So the animals in zoos called peralta or antiquorum are now joined together. Thats what i meant.
For antwerp this fusion was a good thing as they diddn't have a male anymore and no antiquorum male to be found in europe (except for a young male in amersfoort who was bred in antwerp and was a antiquorum x peralta hybrid). With this fusion there suddenly were a lot of possible breedingmales to be found in france (and the male in amersfoort "became" pure now, as his father was a peralta from france as well.)

I know that the taxonomy in the species is uncertain. 1 scientist says A, the other says B etc. Its like with the cougars, jaguars, white-tailed deer, zebras, the number of believed subspecies changes within the day...

But jelle, you haven't answered my question You said there was a population of cape giraffes in europe. Which zoos keep this subspecies? Its the only one i havent seen.

01-05-2008

Planckendael Animal Park, the country section of the Antwerp Zoo, will keep giraffes very soon (maby already this summer) although I do not know which subspecies.

03-05-2008

Trebaruna,

1. The Paris giraffe conglomerate seems to be Kordofan type giraffe, allthough further genetic lab analysis with pure Nigerian peralta and Kordofan antiquorum is required (2007 report). They may even be hybrids between peralta and antiquorum. The EEP recommendation has thus been to manage the Antwerpen AND Paris lineages as one single group.

2. Regarding genetics and taxonomy. It has always been a contentious issue with splitters and lumpers in both sets of scientists. Publications are a tool to improving our scientific understanding of species and subspecies. No 1 publication can truly determine the nature and identity of species and subspecies. That is the essence of scientific debate, which I expect in the case of giraffes will continue for another 5-10 years untill we manage to sample sufficiently the wild and museum collections of all described subspecies of giraffe including wild specimens from within all intergradation zones (rothschildi/tippelskirchi).

The very fact that the publication you were referring to did not find much hybridisation between e.g. reticulata and rothschildi is more testament to the fact that most giraffes in Kenya are now confined to national parks and intensively managed fenced sanctuaries, so their chances of moving into potential intergradation zones is minimal at best (and given the current status of both the rothschildi and reticulata subspecies being a source of concern in terms of survival will not be forthcoming in the near future either).

3. Your question re Cape giraffe giraffa (the nominate subspecies). In the EEP/EAZA region 7 collections currently maintain this subspecies. However, all collections are widely spread out and thus transfers between individual collections is a financial burden. F.i. 0.2 ex Jerusalem were allowed to be exported to Singapore Zoo (cooperates with EEP on various managed breeding programmes) out of the EEP breeding programme due to financial and veterinary issues. The net end result is yet not determined, but several holders not currently EAZA members have been accepted into the G. camelopardalis giraffa EEP. It is certainly interesting to learn how this programme will develop in the foreseeable future.

03-05-2008

When you have any new news on the results of the dna-tests on the paris-antwerp giraffes, please post it I'm curious to hear what they find. I was pretty surprised when i heared those 2 populations are probably 1 because their morphology is quite different.. but oh well, looks can be deceiving

al those taxonomic discussions of what should be a species and what a subspecies is rather amuzing. Nobody can tell for sure and when everybody makes up their own defenitions for these kind of "concepts" and everybody sets their own thresholds for eg dna-tests it only gets worst So i never "believe" those kind of articles for 100%. Nice to read yet another opinion on the taxonomy but nothing more than that.

So the cape giraffes are sort of like the massai and angolans in europe, "approaching the end"? No real breedingpopulation if i understand correctly.

@ Philipine eagle: Do you know what giraffes planckendael will get. Do they get the antwerp-animals or is planckendael starting a new group? I heared both options and ik have no idea which one to believe.

04-05-2008

I think they will being gettig rothschilds as far as i know