Giraffe Conservation

In the past 20 years, there has been an estimated 35% decline in wild giraffe populations. In 1998 the IUCN estimated the total number of giraffe in Africa to exceed 140,000, but by 2016, this number has dropped to fewer than 90,000 individuals. 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. In January 2016, the Zoo provided financial support and a staff veterinarian to help Operation Twiga translocate 18 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