As part of an on-going study, using the giraffe herd at Marwell Wildlife, measurement and assessment of partner-preference and social interaction between male and female giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) has been undertaken across a three year period. The idea behind this study hopes to provide evidence for the ‘importance’ of social bonding to a captive mammal in an apparently artificial situation, and to shed light on a specific aspect of giraffe biology