Giraffes can be described as majestic, graceful and elegant creatures. 

Their towering height and unique patterns make them stand out, while their gentle nature and peaceful demeanor add to their beauty. They are often described as gentle giants, and their ability to reach high into the trees with their long necks adds to their allure. 

by Rick LoBello
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When the Zoo opened Africa in 2010 few people missed Dudley Baseball Field where a Quality of Life bond years before allowed the Zoo to expand westward. With the opening of the new exhibit everyone was excited to see giraffes and other African animals including a pride of lions, a herd of zebras, a mob of meerkats, antelope, a pack of painted dogs, and four male giraffes. The big four were all pretty young, but as they matured and started to fight each other for dominance it became clear some would need to be moved to other zoos. Today we have a older male named Juma who along with his mate Gigi has had two male babies. Obi was born on April 18, 2023 and our newest baby (Tesoro) was born at 7:26am on January 25, 2025.

The reticulated giraffe is the world’s tallest mammal! Looming up to 19 feet tall and weighing up to 3000 pounds, the mighty giraffe…. isn’t all that mighty. Giraffes are actually very peaceful until threatened. 

When I was on safari in Kenya I was fortunate to see a giraffe come close to a male lion resting near a tree. I will never forget how graceful it was as it was eating leaves high up on an acacia tree and how it appeared unafraid of the lion nearby. Lions are one of the main predators of giraffes, especially younger, older, or weaker individuals. While giraffes are large and can be dangerous prey, the potential for a large meal makes them a worthwhile target for a lion pride.  Fortunately for this giraffe there was only one lion to worry about.

Not everyone has the opportunity to see giraffes, so we are fortunate here in El Paso to see up close how majestic, graceful, and elegant they are. Not long after they arrived in El Paso in 2010 I met John B Doherty at a zoo conference. John was working on helping giraffes in parts of Kenya where a growing number of people were killing them for meat. He had participated in the conference with a poster and it was perfect timing to get our Zoo involved with a giraffe conservation project.

After meeting with John on the phone from the UK to discuss how we could help, our conservation committee agreed to fund a number of solar chargers to help park rangers better communicate with park headquarters at Samburu Isiolo Conservation Areas in central Kenya. The national reserves that make up the conservation areas are operated and managed by their respective county governments, rather than by the Kenya Wildlife Service as are the countries national parks. The Wardens and Rangers employed by the county governments are drawn from the surrounding communities. Despite their facing serious challenges, including some heavily armed poachers and raiders, they are relatively poorly resourced, which is believed to reduce their motivation and effectiveness. Other than at the respective headquarters, ranger stations in the reserves have no electricity. They rely on kerosene laps and flashlights to see at night, and they are unable to recharge their mobile phones as a contribution to the management of the reserves, and to encourage an appreciation of the value of giraffes to local people. The funds we donated for the solar powered lamps with twin phone charging ports, were distributed to each of the Rangers houses in the three reserves.

Most recently the Zoo has been supporting the work of The Giraffe Conservation Foundation. The fate of giraffes in Africa is serious. They are experiencing a “silent extinction”, which refers to their declining population going largely unnoticed. The total giraffe population has declined significantly, by up to 40% in the past 30 years. Some giraffe subspecies are even more imperiled, like the Kordofan giraffe which has lost 90% of its population since the late 1980s and is now critically endangered. The Nubian giraffe is similarly critically endangered, with a 98% population decline.

Giraffes need friends

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a group in El Paso that focused solely on helping giraffes in the wild. If anyone is interested and needs my help I am just a phone call or email away.

Rick LoBello, Education and Conservation Curator, lobellorl@elpasotexas.gov 915-212-2823

Last of the Longnecks Documentary

The El Paso Zoo helped to sponsor the documentary Last of the Longnecks in 2016. Featuring unprecedented footage, “Last of the Longnecks” (aka “Mission Critical: Walking with Giraffes” on NatGeo) follows top scientists, wildlife conservationists, and anti-poachers from Africa to Europe to the United States — shedding light on the giraffe’s struggle against a silent extinction, while discovering what hope can be found in the tangled relationship between humanity and nature. You can watch it on Amazon Prime.

Photos Courtesy

John B Doherty
Project Coordinator
Reticulated Giraffe Project
The Reticulated Giraffe Project is an
initiative of Queen’s University Belfast
and the Kenya Wildlife Service