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Congenital nutritional myodegeneration (white muscle disease) in a giraffe (giraffa camelopardalis) calf

It is well known that vitamin E and selenium deficiencies in domestic ruminants can lead to white muscle disease. After a clinically normal gestation period at Ouwehand Zoo in the Netherlands, a newborn giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) calf showed clinical signs of white muscle disease almost immediately after birth. The calf was rejected by the mother and was euthanized 3 days later because of deterioration of clinical signs. At necropsy, pulmonary edema and pallor of skeletal and heart muscles was noted.

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Effects of Guest Feeding Programs on Captive Giraffe Behavior

Zoological institutions develop human-animal interaction opportunities for visitors to advance missions of conservation, education, and recreation; however, the animal welfare implications have yet to be evaluated. This behavioral study was the first to quantify impacts of guest feeding programs on captive giraffe behavior and welfare, by documenting giraffe time budgets that included both normal and stereotypic behaviors. Thirty giraffes from nine zoos (six zoos with varying guest feeding programs and three without) were observed for three days each, using both

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Digestive tract pathology of captive giraffe (Giraffa Camelopardalis). A unifying hypothesis

Captive giraffe (Giraffa Camelopardalis) are affected by four major pathological conditions linked to their nutrition: (1) the so-called “peracute mortality syndrome” with complete absence and serious atrophy of body fat stores, (2) phytobezoars, i.e. Fibrous conglomerates  of plant material, in the omasum and abomasums (3) rumen acidosis or (4) partial loss of dorsal ruminal papillation. We hypothesise that all four conditions can be explained by the fact that the giraffe, like other browsing ruminants, is not adapted to grass or

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Precision, accuracy, and costs of survey methods for giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis

Giraffes Giraffa camelopardalis are megafaunal browsers and keystone species in African savanna ecosystems. Range-wide population declines are suspected, but robust data are lacking. Tanzania holds the largest population of giraffe of any range state, and aerial surveys constitute most of Tanzania’s giraffe population monitoring data, but their accuracy has not yet been assessed. An IUCN status assessment for giraffe is currently underway, and calibrating aerial surveys with ground-based surveys can quantify accuracy of the aerial surveys to ensure more reliable

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Fission–fusion dynamics of a megaherbivore are driven by ecological, anthropogenic, temporal, and social factors

Fission–fusion dynamics hypothetically enable animals to exploit dispersed and ephemeral food resources while minimizing predation risk. Disentangling factors affecting group size and composition of fission–fusion species facilitates their management and conservation. We used a 6-year data set of 2888 group formations of Masai giraffes in Tanzania to investigate determinants of social group size and structure. We tested whether ecological (lion density, vegetation structure, and prevalence of primary forage plants), anthropogenic (proximity to human settlements), temporal (rainy or dry season), and

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Correlates of home range sizes of giraffes, Giraffa camelopardalis

Abiotic, biotic and human influences are factors that can affect animal home ranges. We calculated home range sizes of adult giraffes in the Tarangire-Manyara region of northern Tanzania (N ¼ 132 giraffes with data collected over 6 years), and investigated correlations between home range sizes and environmental and anthropogenic factors (for a subset of N ¼ 71 giraffes). We used a 95% kernel utilization distribution to define home ranges and modelled home range size as a function of environmental and

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Group sizes of giraffes in Kenya: the influence of habitat, predation and the age and sex of individuals

Giraffe group sizes appear to vary in response to localized ecological and environmental factors, but there has been little investigation of how social factors or predation risk affect group size in giraffes. We studied two adjacent, enclosed populations of Rothschild’s giraffes in Kenya, and used 591 records of groups to determine the relative influence of a series of variables on group size. One population was free from any risk of predation, while the other area contained a high density of

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Social and demographic influences on the feeding ecology of giraffe in the Luangwa Valley, Zambia: 1973–2014

Body size influences metabolic rate, which impacts feeding ecology. Body mass differs by sex in size-dimorphic species, such as giraffes, and also by age. Giraffes reside in a fission–fusion social system, which influences feeding ecology due to frequent changes in group size and composition. We analysed 40 years of feeding records collected from a population of Thornicroft’s giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis thornicrofti) living in the Luangwa Valley, Zambia. We examined the influence of herd composition, age and sex on diet. Solitary males

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Chemical immobilisation of giraffe to facilitate short procedures

Objective: To describe the chemical immobilisation of giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) for short procedures at Taronga Zoo. Design: A clinical report. Animals: Five giraffe. Procedure: The weight of each animal was determined and pre-immobilisation fasting, careful preparation of the site, and planning were carried out prior to each procedure. Etorphine and acetylpromazine were used as the sole immobilising agents. During immobilisation, elevation of the head and constant monitoring of the heart rate, respiratory rate and temperature were employed; blood pressure and

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Giraffe husbandry and feeding practices in Europe results of an EEP survey

Problems of the locomotory system (like overgrown hooves, laminitis or joint problems) have been reported from the EEP giraffe population. To evaluate relevant husbandry practices and frequency of the problem, a survey was done covering EEP institutions (response to the questionnaire from 70 institutions representing 74 individually managed groups). 40 of the 74 groups reported that cases of problems of the locomotory system had occurred in their animals. Animals older than 8 years seemed to have a higher probability to

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