Edinburgh Zoo sticks its neck out with plan to breed giraffes when they arrive
SCOTLAND’S leading zoo hopes to breed giraffes in a bid to help save the animals, it has been revealed.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) will bring giraffes to Edinburgh Zoo in the coming months, for the first time in more than 15 years.
A bachelor group of Rothschild’s giraffes will be transported from another UK collection this summer, to be housed in a new
£2.8 million state of the art giraffe house.
The animals will be joined at a later date by females, so that the zoo can contribute to the breeding programme for the species. There are thought to be fewer than 1,600 Rothschild’s giraffes left in the wild. The RZSS hopes that it can play a part in reviving the population.
David Field, RZSS’S chief executive, said: “There are exciting times ahead. We are moving forward with giraffes and hopefully in the summer people will be able to see these wonderful animals here.
“All the major construction work on the giraffe house was completed last year so now it’s all about landscaping, finishing off the interpretation and making sure all the elements are in place for when the giraffes are ready to come.
“I’m planning on having them in before the school summer holidays. We intend to bring in a bachelor herd of five or six young giraffes initially, so that visitors have a fantastic experience. Then, later on we will bring in breeding females.”
Edinburgh Zoo was home to giraffes from as early as the 1930s, but the animals have been absent in recent years due to a lack of an appropriate sized enclosure to care for them.