Why America’s zoo giraffes can’t save their wild cousins

Giraffes have long been part of zoo life, often seen as gentle giants helping spark interest in wildlife and conservation.

Zoo giraffes are also supposed to be part of a backup plan – keeping healthy populations in human care in case things go south in the wild. But it turns out, that plan might not be working like people thought.

New research found that many giraffes in U.S. zoos and private collections aren’t pure representatives of their species.

Instead, they’re a mix – a genetic patchwork that makes them a lot less useful when it comes to helping wild giraffe populations survive.

Not one giraffe species, but four

For a long time, scientists thought all giraffes belonged to a single species. They were split into different subspecies based on where they lived, but that was about it.

New DNA research changed that. We now know giraffes fall into four separate species that barely interbreed in the wild.

That’s important because it means each species has its own genetic identity. Mixing them up doesn’t preserve them – it erases their uniqueness.

Earlier this year, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) officially recognized all four giraffe species and listed them as vulnerable. Some are even critically endangered.

There are only about 97,500 giraffes left in the wild, spread across 21 African countries. With numbers like that, every individual counts.

Captive giraffes: A tangled mix

Researchers studied the DNA of 52 giraffes living in U.S. zoos and private ranches. They compared those results with DNA from 63 wild giraffes representing all four species. What they found was a mess.

Wesley Au, the study’s lead author, is a doctoral researcher in the informatics program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

“Only eight giraffes got close to representing a single species – reaching about a 90% match – but the rest were a mix of two and sometimes three species,” said Au.

Most of the zoo giraffes were hybrids

Instead of representing clean genetic lines that could help repopulate wild groups, most zoo giraffes had become hybrids – blends of different species that don’t exist naturally. And it wasn’t just a recent issue.

Back in 2004, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) decided to stop keeping giraffe subspecies separate. Instead, they started treating them all as one big group for breeding purposes.

At the time, many giraffes were already mixed, and it wasn’t yet clear that these animals belonged to separate species.

“The AZA decision acknowledged that hybridization was already extensive within its giraffe population,” said Alfred Roca, senior author of the study.

“Additionally, I’m not sure it was obvious in 2004 that the animals were from such disparate genetic stocks. Those studies came later, so it’s not surprising.”

Why this matters for conservation

If zoos want to be part of long-term conservation efforts, their giraffe populations need to reflect what’s in the wild. Right now, they don’t.

According to the researchers, captive breeding programs should think about starting over – with fresh genetic material.

That doesn’t mean the giraffes in zoos aren’t important. They still have educational and emotional value. Some may even be used in the future as surrogates for embryos created from wild giraffe DNA.

But the current situation won’t help save any of the four species. Without clean genetics, these animals can’t be used to restock wild populations or support wild species that are close to disappearing.

“A lot of times, decisions to breed animals are based on, ‘She’s a nice female, he’s a nice male. Let’s put them together for breeding,’” said Kari Morfeld, reproductive physiologist and co-author of the study.

“The genetics aren’t usually considered in making breeding decisions for giraffes, but they should be. We have a responsibility to consider genetics, not only demeanor or physical characteristics, to do better for giraffe conservation.”

Can the problem be fixed?

One possible fix is to use technology instead of transporting animals. Moving adult giraffes between continents is hard. They’re huge, expensive to ship, and not easy to handle.

“Physically moving these huge animals between continents would be difficult. So, a better way, in my opinion, is to develop reproductive technologies where you can move semen or embryos and proceed with artificial insemination, IVF, and embryo transfer,” said Morfeld.

“We do this all the time in livestock and other species. There’s no reason this can’t be applied to giraffes.”

However, it’s not just about the science. Morfeld noted that it really comes down to establishing trusting relationships with African governments, conservation organizations, and scientists.

“It’s one thing to conduct an artificial insemination, but you really have to ask the question of how all stakeholders will benefit.”

The full study was published in the Journal of Heredity.

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