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The influence of feeding opportunities of six zoohoused Giraffa camelopardalis rothschild

Previous studies on captive giraffes have shown that an increase in foraging opportunities leads to reduced abnormal behaviour. This study evaluates the nocturnal behaviours of six captive giraffes, housed in Aalborg Zoo (N: 57.04°, E: 9.90°). The herd consists of one male giraffe (age 8), one male calf (age 1 ½), two female giraffe (age 7; 20) and two female calves (age 8 months; 2 years). The observations lasted eight nights and compared two observation periods (October and November) with

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Oral Stereotypies in Captive Giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) Associated with Food Intake

Ungulates are the most prevalent mammalian stereotypers (Bergeron et al., 2006). Oral stereotypies are the most common abnormal behavior of zoo-housed giraffes, suggesting that this species develops stereotypic tongue movements (Bashaw et al., 2001). Wild giraffes must use their tongues to remove and consume tree leaves (Baxter & Plowman, 2001); therefore, the saliva production may be high due to the oral stimulation and time involved in selective feeding patterns (Kearney, 2005). Feeding captive giraffes is a challenge. Their diet consists

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Evaluating physiological and behavioural responses to social changes and construction in two zoo-housed female giraffes

Exposure to external repeated or long-term stressors can alter animal behaviour and physiology. At zoos, construction of new buildings and habitats is one potential unavoidable long-term stressor. During the construction of a new exhibit near the giraffe enclosure at Lincoln Park Zoo (Chicago, IL), the Zoo’s two female giraffes, Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi and Giraffa reticulata, were monitored for changes in behavior and faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) levels during five phases of construction and enclosure access. The FGM analysis was validated

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Further behavioural parameters support reciprocity and milk theft as explanations for giraffe allonursing

Suckling of a non-filial calf, or allosuckling, is an extreme case of allomaternal care in mammals. There have been many hypotheses postulated in an attempt to explain this behaviour; however, the supporting evidence differs, together with the conclusions drawn from the investigated variables. Previously, suckling bout rejection was analysed, and the milk theft and reciprocity hypotheses were both determined as the most appropriate explanation of allosuckling in giraffe. In this study, seven hypotheses were tested using different behavioural parameters, namely

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Hand Rearing Of Wild Mammals In Captivity

Recognition of Zoo Rules, 2009 emphasizes the need of ‘Nursery for Hand Rearing of Animal Babies’ in recognized zoos. Zoos in India also function as Rescue Centres for rehabilitation of many orphaned wild infants. Many Indian zoos have hand reared wild animals in different situations with varied success rate. However documentation of such experiences is far from desired level. The authors have attempted to compile information on more than 50 case reports of hand rearing on 25 species of mammals

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A retrospective survey of neoplasia in managed giraffe (giraffa camelopardalis)

Giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) are commonly managed in zoos and conservation programs worldwide, but the current understanding of the occurrence and progression of neoplastic disease in this species is limited by the scarcity of published reports. This study collated documented cases of neoplasia on the basis of gross and histologic evaluation of ante- and postmortem samples. In total, 30 giraffes from 22 institutions across the United States were included. Subspecies was not reported in all cases, but those identified included Masai

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A note on foetal growth and development of the giraffe Girafla camelopardalis girafla

The growth of the foetus of the southern giraffe is discussed. Gestation period is calculated as 457 days being the mean of 48 observations of other workers. Birthmass is taken as 102 kg from measurements on wild giraffe. This is almost twice as great as some published figures for captive giraffe. However, subspecies also differ. Foetal growth followed a typical “J” shaped curve when plotted from the mass of 24 foetuses. The increase in vertebral column length followed a straight

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Shedding light into the dark: Age and light shape nocturnal activity and sleep behaviour of giraffe

The interaction of internal clocks and environmental conditions determines the daily behavioural rhythm of an animal. Due to the strong influence of light, these circadian rhythms oscillate in mammals over a cycle length of about 24 h, equivalent to the daily light-dark cycle. The relation between activity and rest within this cycle is species-specific and age dependent. Since strong deviations from existing rhythms can harm health seriously, the observation of animal behaviour using activity budgets is a common tool to

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Giraffes go for more: a quantity discrimination study in giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis)

Many species, including humans, rely on an ability to differentiate between quantities to make decisions about social relationships, territories, and food. This study is the first to investigate whether giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) are able to select the larger of two sets of quantities in different conditions, and how size and density affect these decisions. In Task 1, we presented five captive giraffes with two sets containing a different quantity of identical foods items. In Tasks 2 and 3, we also

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