Turtle Back Zoo
The Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) named June 21 “World Giraffe Day”, choosing the longest day of the year to celebrate the world’s tallest animals. It is an annual event created “to raise support, create awareness, and shed light on the challenges giraffes face in the wild.”[1]
Kristin Rydziel, one of the giraffe keepers at Turtle Back Zoo, proposed a way for the Zoo to contribute to this tradition via the giraffe feedings held in its African Adventure exhibit. This popular experience allows visitors to directly interact with our six Masai giraffes, and to learn more about the ways in which they can help the endangered population of giraffes in the wild. In celebration of World Giraffe Day, the Zoological Society of New Jersey matched every dollar made from giraffe feeding experiences at Turtle Back Zoo during the weekend of June 24-26. At the end of the weekend, these funds were donated to the GCF to aid in its conservation efforts.
The GCF is the only non-governmental organization which “concentrates solely on the conservation and management of giraffe in the wild throughout Africa”[2]. It estimates the current Africa-wide giraffe population at almost 30% less than it was 40 years ago.[3] The GCF directly addresses the threats faced by the wild giraffe population, such as habitat loss, human population growth, poaching, and disease, among other factors[4]. The funds raised in collaboration with the Turtle Back Zoo and the Zoological Society of New Jersey work to support these conservation efforts and contribute to increasing the population of healthy giraffes in the wild.
Interested in aiding our commitment to conservation?
Become a Member of Turtle Back Zoo or Donate to the Zoological Society of New Jersey.
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[1] World Giraffe Day. (2022, June 20). Retrieved from Giraffe Conservation Foundation: https://giraffeconservation.org/world-giraffe-day/
[2] GCF Home. (2022). Retrieved from Giraffe Conservation Foundation: https://giraffeconservation.org/
[3] How many giraffe are there and are they ‘Endangered’? Retrieved from Giraffe Conservation Foundation: https://giraffeconservation.org/facts/how-many-giraffe-are-there-and-are-they-endangered/
[4] What are the Main Threats to Giraffe? (2022). Retrieved from Giraffe Conservation Foundation: https://giraffeconservation.org/facts/what-are-the-main-threats-to-giraffe-why-are-their-numbers-declining/