Seven years ago this past week, a healthy, two-year-old giraffe called Marius was butchered in front of crowds of zoo visitors (including an audience of children) at Copenhagen Zoo.
Marius had been offered a place at a Yorkshire Zoo, but had met his end on a cold pavement slab, his limbs removed in front of a crowd of tourists and the juicy bits fed to the lions.
The zoo justified this action of culling and public dissection, claiming his genes were already represented in the captive giraffe population in Europe, and there was limited space available for young, male giraffe in zoos that were members of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA). Parts of his body were then fed to the zoo’s carnivores.
On the 7th anniversary of that appalling act, Born Free is calling for European zoos to phase-out the keeping of giraffe in captivity and instead focus their conservation resources on the protection of giraffe populations in the wild.
Dr Stephanie Jayson, Wild Animal Welfare Consultant for Born Free, commented: “A zoo is no place for giraffe, where these complex, social, wide-ranging, browsing animals are subjected to a life of social deprivation, environmental restrictions and inadequate nutrition.
A giraffe stands in a wet, muddy pen at Banham Zoo, Norfolk
As a result, giraffe in zoos frequently suffer compromised health and stereotypic behaviours. The ex situ management of giraffe in European zoos significantly impacts the welfare of the individual animals involved, and has no clear role in the overall conservation of the species.”
With an estimated captive population of more than 800 giraffe in zoos across Europe, including over 150 in the UK, Born Free’s call stems from a new report compiled by the international wildlife charity which highlights the detrimental physical and mental impact of captivity on giraffe.
Key summary points show multiple ways include:
Wild giraffe live in complex societies. Females are incredibly sociable, forming long-term relationships with other females, as well as creating nursery groups for their offspring.
In contrast, many giraffe in captivity do not have the opportunity to form complex societies due to the limited capacity of zoos to house large communities of giraffe in a diverse landscape. Several zoos hold only one or two giraffe, including Knowsley Safari Park, Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm, Twycross Zoo and ZSL London Zoo in the UK.
Opportunities for female giraffe to form relationships with other females are limited. Several European zoos, including Dudley Zoological Gardens and ZSL London Zoo in the UK, hold just two female giraffe, while some hold only a single female.
Wild giraffe spend approximately a third of their day walking, and their average home range size varies between five and 514 km2. I
n comparison, outdoor enclosures in European zoos average around 2600 m2 (just over one quarter of a hectare or almost two thirds of an acre) – merely 0.0005-0.05% of the average home range size of wild giraffe.
Restricted space negatively impacts giraffe welfare and has been associated with problems such as overgrown hooves and stereotypic pacing.
Add this to the temperate European climate, forcing giraffe to have their outdoor access restricted when outdoor temperatures fall too low, and a widespread lack of environmental complexity.
Typically simplistic and bare, zoo enclosures for giraffe are incomparable to the African savanna and woodland habitats of wild giraffe.
Wild giraffe spend most of their day feeding on browse, predominantly the leaves and stems of trees and shrubs, as well as smaller amounts of climbers, herbs, flowers, fruits, and bark.
In European zoos, this is not possible. It is not feasible to provide a large amount and variety of browse so substitute food items must be offered, which can result in compromised health and welfare.
Many nutritional diseases have been reported in giraffe in European zoos and various aspects of the captive diet, and its presentation, have been associated with oral stereotypic behaviours.
Inappropriate food items such as cereal grain products, fruit and vegetables are still being fed to giraffe in many European zoos.
Giraffe in European zoos suffer from numerous captivity-associated health problems, including nutritional disease and lameness, and their longevity is reduced, with many failing to reach more than 15 years of age.
One survey showed that 54% of giraffe groups in EAZA-member zoos reported at least one case of overgrown hooves, laminitis, joint problems, or a combination of all three.
Insufficient exercise, nutritional imbalances, inappropriate enclosure substrates and trauma are thought to contribute to overgrown hooves, and suboptimal diet is likely a factor in the development of laminitis.
Giraffe in zoos also commonly suffer from trauma, including entrapment, entanglement, slips and falls, and all too often this can be fatal.
These repetitive behaviours observed in captive animals are induced by frustration, repeated attempts to cope, and/or central nervous system dysfunction, and have been linked with poor animal welfare.
Giraffe are prone to stereotypic behaviours in captivity, particularly oral stereotypic behaviours involving the tongue, and pacing.
It is thought that they have developed behavioural disturbances in almost every zoo and that giraffe and okapi together are the species with the largest number of animals affected by stereotypic behaviours in the global zoo animal population.
Dr Jayson continued: “A strategic and humane phase-out of giraffe in European zoos would require careful planning.
An end to breeding would be a first step, as not adding to the captive population would mean that, over time, as animals die ‘naturally’, the captive population would start to shrink.
To improve the welfare of giraffe remaining in captivity, social grouping, environment, nutrition, health and stereotypic behaviours of giraffe should be assessed at each zoo and changes made to improve the lives of individual animals.
Where appropriate, this may involve consolidating animal collections to provide more appropriate social grouping and to house remaining giraffe within the largest, most complex environments possible.
Living naturally at Shamwari Game Reserve, South Africa
Born Free is urging zoos to direct funding towards protecting giraffe in the wild, instead of spending money on the continued breeding and expansion of captive giraffe collections in Europe. Edinburgh Zoo has reportedly spent £2.7 million on a new giraffe enclosure.
Dr Nikki Tagg, Head of Conservation at Born Free, added: “Such financial resources be better applied to support wild giraffe conservation, securing and restoring vast landscapes and reversing habitat degradation, fragmentation, and loss.
“This level of investment could potentially bring significant benefits to wild giraffe, connecting and protecting natural habitat in north Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania, as well as increasing community awareness and engagement, conflict mitigation and anti-poaching efforts.”
The post 5 ways captivity is bad for giraffe wellbeing appeared first on Kate on Conservation.
Marius had been offered a place at a Yorkshire Zoo, but had met his end on a cold pavement slab, his limbs removed in front of a crowd of tourists and the juicy bits fed to the lions.
The zoo justified this action of culling and public dissection, claiming his genes were already represented in the captive giraffe population in Europe, and there was limited space available for young, male giraffe in zoos that were members of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA). Parts of his body were then fed to the zoo’s carnivores.
Remembering Marius 7 years on…
On the 7th anniversary of that appalling act, Born Free is calling for European zoos to phase-out the keeping of giraffe in captivity and instead focus their conservation resources on the protection of giraffe populations in the wild.
Dr Stephanie Jayson, Wild Animal Welfare Consultant for Born Free, commented: “A zoo is no place for giraffe, where these complex, social, wide-ranging, browsing animals are subjected to a life of social deprivation, environmental restrictions and inadequate nutrition.
A giraffe stands in a wet, muddy pen at Banham Zoo, Norfolk
As a result, giraffe in zoos frequently suffer compromised health and stereotypic behaviours. The ex situ management of giraffe in European zoos significantly impacts the welfare of the individual animals involved, and has no clear role in the overall conservation of the species.”
With an estimated captive population of more than 800 giraffe in zoos across Europe, including over 150 in the UK, Born Free’s call stems from a new report compiled by the international wildlife charity which highlights the detrimental physical and mental impact of captivity on giraffe.
Key summary points show multiple ways include:
1. Social deprivation
Wild giraffe live in complex societies. Females are incredibly sociable, forming long-term relationships with other females, as well as creating nursery groups for their offspring.
In contrast, many giraffe in captivity do not have the opportunity to form complex societies due to the limited capacity of zoos to house large communities of giraffe in a diverse landscape. Several zoos hold only one or two giraffe, including Knowsley Safari Park, Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm, Twycross Zoo and ZSL London Zoo in the UK.
Opportunities for female giraffe to form relationships with other females are limited. Several European zoos, including Dudley Zoological Gardens and ZSL London Zoo in the UK, hold just two female giraffe, while some hold only a single female.
2. Environmental restrictions
Wild giraffe spend approximately a third of their day walking, and their average home range size varies between five and 514 km2. I
n comparison, outdoor enclosures in European zoos average around 2600 m2 (just over one quarter of a hectare or almost two thirds of an acre) – merely 0.0005-0.05% of the average home range size of wild giraffe.
Restricted space negatively impacts giraffe welfare and has been associated with problems such as overgrown hooves and stereotypic pacing.
Add this to the temperate European climate, forcing giraffe to have their outdoor access restricted when outdoor temperatures fall too low, and a widespread lack of environmental complexity.
Typically simplistic and bare, zoo enclosures for giraffe are incomparable to the African savanna and woodland habitats of wild giraffe.
3. Inadequate nutrition
Wild giraffe spend most of their day feeding on browse, predominantly the leaves and stems of trees and shrubs, as well as smaller amounts of climbers, herbs, flowers, fruits, and bark.
In European zoos, this is not possible. It is not feasible to provide a large amount and variety of browse so substitute food items must be offered, which can result in compromised health and welfare.
Many nutritional diseases have been reported in giraffe in European zoos and various aspects of the captive diet, and its presentation, have been associated with oral stereotypic behaviours.
Inappropriate food items such as cereal grain products, fruit and vegetables are still being fed to giraffe in many European zoos.
4. Compromised health
Giraffe in European zoos suffer from numerous captivity-associated health problems, including nutritional disease and lameness, and their longevity is reduced, with many failing to reach more than 15 years of age.
One survey showed that 54% of giraffe groups in EAZA-member zoos reported at least one case of overgrown hooves, laminitis, joint problems, or a combination of all three.
Insufficient exercise, nutritional imbalances, inappropriate enclosure substrates and trauma are thought to contribute to overgrown hooves, and suboptimal diet is likely a factor in the development of laminitis.
Giraffe in zoos also commonly suffer from trauma, including entrapment, entanglement, slips and falls, and all too often this can be fatal.
5. Stereotypic behaviours
These repetitive behaviours observed in captive animals are induced by frustration, repeated attempts to cope, and/or central nervous system dysfunction, and have been linked with poor animal welfare.
Giraffe are prone to stereotypic behaviours in captivity, particularly oral stereotypic behaviours involving the tongue, and pacing.
It is thought that they have developed behavioural disturbances in almost every zoo and that giraffe and okapi together are the species with the largest number of animals affected by stereotypic behaviours in the global zoo animal population.
How could a captivity phase-out be achieved?
Dr Jayson continued: “A strategic and humane phase-out of giraffe in European zoos would require careful planning.
An end to breeding would be a first step, as not adding to the captive population would mean that, over time, as animals die ‘naturally’, the captive population would start to shrink.
To improve the welfare of giraffe remaining in captivity, social grouping, environment, nutrition, health and stereotypic behaviours of giraffe should be assessed at each zoo and changes made to improve the lives of individual animals.
Where appropriate, this may involve consolidating animal collections to provide more appropriate social grouping and to house remaining giraffe within the largest, most complex environments possible.
Living naturally at Shamwari Game Reserve, South Africa
Born Free is urging zoos to direct funding towards protecting giraffe in the wild, instead of spending money on the continued breeding and expansion of captive giraffe collections in Europe. Edinburgh Zoo has reportedly spent £2.7 million on a new giraffe enclosure.
Dr Nikki Tagg, Head of Conservation at Born Free, added: “Such financial resources be better applied to support wild giraffe conservation, securing and restoring vast landscapes and reversing habitat degradation, fragmentation, and loss.
“This level of investment could potentially bring significant benefits to wild giraffe, connecting and protecting natural habitat in north Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania, as well as increasing community awareness and engagement, conflict mitigation and anti-poaching efforts.”
Find out more at www.bornfree.org.uk/raise-the-red-flag
Learn more about Born Free
- The Wind of Change: 35 years of Born Free
- What happened at Born Free’s 30th Anniversary
- My involvement with Born Free
Find out more about the zoo debate
- New film raises awareness of zoo animals’ welfare issues
- British Zoos — their politics and history
- I suppose it all starts with zoos…
- Be the one traveler, long I stood
- Conservation: the cons, count downs and continuations
- A lifelong love of animals
Learn more about elephants in captivity
- Jumbo the Elephant – London Zoo’s most famous resident
- The Elephant in the Room film
- Elephants – Captivity vs. Paradise
Learn more about lions in captivity
- Big Cats in captivity
- Claws Out film exposes the truth about volunteering with lions in South Africa
- Claws Out: Beth Jennings interview
- YouthForLions: Breaking the captive lion cycle
- Big Cats in captivity
Learn more about great apes in captivity
Learn more about orca in captivity
- SeaWorld: Behold, the great water circus!
- Killer whales in captivity: guest post by Ben Stockwell
- Blackfish Tilikum: An homage to his memory and a promise to myself
The post 5 ways captivity is bad for giraffe wellbeing appeared first on Kate on Conservation.