World Giraffe Day is celebrated annually on June 21. This celebration was initiated in 2014 by the Giraffe Conservation Fund (GCF).

The purpose of the holiday is to draw the public's attention to the preservation of these unique animals.

The Giraffe Conservation Fund (GCF) is the only non-governmental organization in the world dedicated exclusively to the conservation of giraffes in the wild throughout Africa.

Today, giraffes are at great risk in their natural habitat. Over the past 15 years, their population has decreased by 40%. This is due to armed conflicts, the expansion of agricultural territories and the activities of poachers.

In 2019, these tallest land animals appeared for the first time in the Mykolaiv Zoo collection. These are two males who arrived from the Czech Republic: Nuru and Logan, representatives of a rare species – Rothschild's giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi). There are less than 700 of them left in the wild, this is the rarest giraffe subspecies, listed in the International Red List as a rapidly dying subspecies.

Giraffes in our zoo receive special attention. To make the animals comfortable, the employees hang the necessary amount of branch feed in different places of the enclosure (branches of ash, linden, maple, acacia and various fruit trees). In addition, different elements of training are applied to giraffes in order to control the behavior of animals for veterinary examinations and various manipulations. Also, for the giraffes, the employees have organized special sleeping places with soft bedding (straw, sawdust), which the animals use with pleasure.

It has already become a good tradition to hold an interesting environmental and educational campaign dedicated to World Giraffe Day at Mykolaiv Zoo. During the event, our little guests and their parents learned a lot of interesting things about giraffes, and children had the opportunity to show their knowledge in a quiz. The winners of the quiz were given a unique opportunity to feed our giants with lettuce.

So, we have a lot more interesting for you! Follow our announcements! We are always waiting for you!