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The Giraffe Nutrition Workshop Proceedings: May 25 – 26, 2005

On May 25, 2005, 14 people interested in giraffe nutrition and health, convened at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago for a two-day workshop. The participants consisted of university and USDA ruminant nutrition researchers, zoo nutritionists, and veterinarians in addition to the giraffe nutrition and veterinary advisors and the PMP coordinator for giraffe. Captive giraffe have a specific set of maladies that may be related to basic nutritional inadequacies. Peracute mortality (Fowler, 1978; Fowler and Boever 1986; Junge and Bradley, 1993),

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The impact of nutrition on the development of urolithiasis in captive giraffes and meat goats

Obstructive urolithiasis is a documented problem in domestic ruminants, such as the meat goat, and also in captive giraffe. A survey of the health history, feeding practices, and dietary contents in captive giraffes in North America was conducted to examine the possible connection between diet and the development of urolithiasis. Samples of urine, serum and feed were collected and analyzed for basic panels and mineral content. There appeared to be a positive correlation between diet and physiologic phosphorus levels in

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Current knowledge about the social organisation of giraffes

The Etosha Giraffe Research project in Namibia focuses on the social relationships among giraffes, which have previously been described as having little social structure nor strong bonds between individuals (Dagg and Foster, 1976; Le Pendu et al., 2000; Moss, 1976). Giraffes live in a fission-fusion society characterised by frequent changes of associates, with males adopting a roaming strategy to search for widely distributed female groups (Bashaw et al., 2007; Bercovitch et al., 2006; Dagg and Foster, 1976; Shorrocks and Croft,

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All the eggs in one basket: A countrywide assessment of current and historical giraffe population distribution in Uganda

To design effective conservation and management strategies at the national scale, it is important to consider population trends across space and time. Here we assessed the near threatened Rothschild’s giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi) in Uganda. We applied individual-based photographic surveys to generate abundance estimates for all extant populations, using either mark-recapture estimates or complete enumeration, and reviewed available historical records to reconstruct the population history of giraffe in Uganda. Although anecdotal evidence from the early 20th century suggests giraffe were

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The Giraffe Husbandry Resource Manual

Giraffes have been kept in captive situations for hundreds of years. Nevertheless, it would be very difficult to describe a singular optimal situation for keeping giraffe, outside of their natural environment. Much of the information contained within will illustrate multiple situations where giraffe were managed successfully, to allow the reader to make husbandry decisions that will best suit their individual facilities and create the most suitable program for their herd. The information found within this manual should be used as

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Analyses of captive behaviour and enclosure use in Rothschild giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi) housed at Paignton Zoo Environmental Park

It has been suggested that wild herbivorous animals, like the Rothschild Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi), are difficult to house in captivity due to their natural wide home range and specialised diet. The aim of this study was to understand what influence the design of the giraffe enclosure at Paignton Zoo has on the activity budget of the Rothschild Giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi) housed in it, in relation to enclosure use and the performance of a natural behavioural repertoire. This was

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The cervical anatomy of Samotherium, an intermediate-necked giraffid

Giraffidae are represented by many extinct species. The only two extant taxa possess diametrically contrasting cervical morphology, as the okapi is short-necked and the giraffe is exceptionally long-necked. Samotherium major, known from the Late Miocene of Samos in Greece and other Eurasian localities, is a key extinct giraffid; it possesses cervical vertebrae that are intermediate in the evolutionary elongation of the neck. We describe detailed anatomical features of the cervicals of S. major, and compare these characteristics with the vertebrae

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Food selection by giraffes in relation to changes in chemical composition of the leaves

Food preferences and food selection by giraffe have been extensively investigated but little data concerning the chemical composition of the preferred species are available. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the differences and seasonal changes in the chemical composition of the leaves of preferred food plants influence food selection. Protein content and moisture seem to be the important fractions that influence food selection most when evaluating this food selection criterion.

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The giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) rumen microbiome

Recent studies have shown that wild ruminants are sources of previously undescribed microorganisms, knowledge of which can improve our understanding of the complex microbial interactions in the foregut. Here, we investigated the microbial community of seven wild-caught giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis), three of which were fed natural browse and four were fed Boskos pellets, leafy alfalfa hay, and cut savanna browse, by characterizing the 16S rRNA gene diversity using 454 FLX high-throughput sequencing. The microbial community composition varied according to diet,

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