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 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