Twycross Zoo welcomes two new Critically Endangered giraffes, reuniting the UK’s only herd of Kordofan giraffe
Twycross Zoo has welcomed two more giraffes to complete its herd of Critically Endangered Kordofan giraffes – the only herd of this species in the UK.
Eloise and Bonomanzi, two female Kordofan giraffes have arrived at the Midlands-based charity zoo, where they’ve been reunited with the rest of their herd, who arrived in June.
The move follows almost one-year of careful planning and collaboration with experts from several zoos, ensuring every aspect of the move and long-term care for this species was carefully considered.
There are only two specialist giraffe transporters in the entirety of Europe, making the phased move of all five Kordofan giraffes to Twycross Zoo a hugely coordinated effort, with timings for each move planned with the individual animals’ best interests considered.
As of yesterday (Tuesday 8 September), the herd of five Kordofan giraffe; females Eloise, Bonomanzi and Gaya, male Kofi, along with one-year-old calf Floris, have been reunited and are settling into their new home at the Midlands-based charity zoo; where they will be cared for by a dedicated team of expert zookeepers and veterinarians, and act as a vital population to safeguard their wild counterparts.
Yianna Cooling, Twycross Zoo’s Assistant Curator (Mammals), said:
“We are so delighted that Eloise and Bonomanzi have arrived safely to their new home with us here at Twycross Zoo. This has been a huge team effort, and seeing all five giraffes together is a really special moment for everyone involved.
“We’ve spent almost a year planning every detail of their move, working closely with colleagues across the UK and Europe to make sure the giraffes’ individual needs were considered, as well as the long-term plan for protecting the species.
“Getting them here safely is just the beginning. As part of a joint effort between European zoos, we’re helping to create a healthy, genetically diverse population that can act as a safety net for this critically endangered species.
“With Kordofan giraffes facing such serious threats in the wild, maintaining a sustainable population in human care is an important part of the long-term effort to stop this species from disappearing altogether, and is one of the vital roles’ zoos play in global conservation.
“They’re an incredible sight for our visitors, but they also represent something much bigger. It’s incredibly rewarding to know that the work we’re doing here will contribute to the future survival of this species.”
Kordofan giraffes are listed as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with conservationists warning that human action – oil drilling, illegal hunting, and conflict is causing a decline in their populations across their wild habitat, leaving less than 1,500 individuals remaining.
Moving the giraffes is a well-planned effort, utilising a specialist height-adjustable vehicle, one of only two in Europe. Likened to a horsebox on stilts, the transporter allows the safe movement of giraffes from one location to another.
These five giraffes, will form part of an existing European conservation initiative, known to professionals as an “EAZA Ex-Situ Programme”. The aim of these programmes is to care for and maintain a healthy, and genetically diverse, population of the species, to act as a safety net for their wild counterparts – sadly, those wild counterparts are in continued decline and at high risk of extinction within our lifetime, making this population and the efforts of Twycross Zoo and its European colleagues, increasingly important.
Throughout summer, visitors to the charity zoo have been delighted by the arrival of the first three giraffes from the herd, and the zoo hopes they’ll be returning very soon to see all five exploring and settling into their new habitat, with every visit supporting their work as a charity, to protect wildlife across the world as a global force in biodiversity conservation.
