Giraffe Conservation

According to recent reports, wild giraffe populations have grown 20 percent since 2015, with around 117,000 individual giraffe documented. But, there’s still work to be done. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categorizes giraffe as vulnerable to extinction, while two northern subspecies are considered critically endangered, and Masai and reticulated giraffe (the subspecies found at CMZoo) are endangered. Thus far there has been limited research and conservation efforts on wild giraffe, so the extent of their conservation threats are often undetermined.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has partnered with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation to support much-needed field research on the different giraffe subspecies and to help with multiple conservation strategies. Since 2016, the Zoo has provided financial support and a staff veterinarian to help Operation Twiga translocate Rothschild’s giraffe in Uganda back to a historic home range across the Nile River. The Zoo continues to support Operation Twiga and giraffe conservation; read below for the latest news.

You can visit reticulated giraffe at the Zoo in African Rift Valley
Learn about our International Center for the Care & Conservation of Giraffe

Celebrating Giraffe Quarters for Conservation Project

May 2022 – When you visit Tumbili, Ohe, Mahali and Panya at CMZoo, you’re helping establish new populations of wild giraffe in Uganda. That’s because wild giraffe receive help from our Quarters for Conservation (Q4C) program! Since the program began in 2008, guests and members have contributed more than $4 million to support CMZoo’s conservation partners around the world, who fight to save species like giraffe. We’ve been celebrating hitting the $4 million milestone all week with stories about the animals that benefit from your generosity.

When most people think of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, they remember their interaction with our iconic 17-member giraffe tower. Because we see them relatively often in human care, it’s unknown to many that giraffe are facing a silent extinction in the wild. Giraffe face threats including habitat loss, poaching, and disease.

Operation Twiga, a partnership between the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF), and supported by CMZoo’s Q4C, works to create new populations of giraffe by transporting individuals to safer habitats. Thanks to guest and member contributions through our Quarters for Conservation program, CMZoo and the Kratt Family Foundation have contributed over $450,600 in support of these wild giraffe conservation efforts. This funding has allowed CMZoo staff to participate in five trips to central Africa for giraffe relocation efforts and conduct important research that could help wild giraffe overcome skin disease.

Giraffe Conservation News

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