The Change In Captive Giraffe Breed

In captivity giraffe herds consist of both male and female giraffes, which has led to a different social organisation, changing the herd dynamic. Ethnologists Edita Horová, Karolína Brandlová and Markéta Gloneková have observed changes in social organisation of captive giraffes as giraffe herds do not have a distinctive individual leading the herd; but in captivity despite not having one specific leader, it is observed the elder giraffe both male and female, known as the dominant hierarchy, do influence the behaviour of the herd. In our study we observed the same three giraffes dictate the movements and direction in which the herd moved throughout the enclosure and the remaining members of the herd followed; walking when the dominant hierarchy walked. We observed the giraffe herds walking behaviour 40% of the time in our 60 minute behavioural sampling.
In captivity the change in giraffe herd dynamic has separated captive giraffe herds and made them different than that of wild giraffe herds, which has affected captive giraffe’s courtship behaviour.
In our study we observed Necking, a form of courtship combat behaviour, 18.33% of the time in our 60minute behavioural sampling. In the wild male giraffes engage in necking as a form of dominance over another male and as a completion to mate with a particular female. After necking has occurred the losing male will leave the area in search of other females to mate with, however in captivity we observed the same two males engage in two separate necking completions within a short period of time which is almost unheard of in the wild. The change in herd dynamic has cause a change in male giraffe’s courtship behaviours, where the male giraffes must compete in multiple necking battles with the same male to gain access to the small number of available
females.

The Change in captive giraffes herd dynamic has increased the frequency of courtship behaviours to occur year round in comparison to wild giraffes who only display courtship behaviours in the African wet season. Wild giraffe herds consist of adult females and their calves or wild bachelor herds consist of adult male; wild adult female giraffes and wild adult male giraffes are never members of the same herd. However in captivity both male and female giraffes are members of one herd which is significantly different than in the wild. The female giraffe’s presence in captivity stimulates the male giraffes to become more dominant and display courtship behaviours outside of the wet season because female giraffe ovulate throughout the year and can have calves throughout the year. But in the wild calves are traditionally born in the dry season because female herds and bachelor herds only congregate together in the wet season to share the lush vegetation and to mate. The change in captive giraffe herd dynamic has caused the increase of courtship behaviour to occur year round due to the combination of females and males in one herd. Our study took place in January which is the Irish winter or “dry season” where the vegetation is scarce and less nutritious than in the Irish spring and early summer or “wet season” where the vegetation is lush and plentiful. We specifically observed the captive giraffes outside of the “wet season”, in order to prove courtship behaviour occurs year round increasing captive giraffe courtship behaviour frequency in comparison to wild giraffes. And in our 30 minute scan sampling we observed courtship behaviour 10% of the time and in our 60 minute behavioural sampling we observed courtship behaviours 55.65% of the rime, which is a much higher frequency than in wild giraffes