Animal Facts
Scientific Name
Giraffa camelopardalis tippelskirchi
Range
Masai giraffes live in Tanzania and southern Kenya. (other giraffe varieties are found other places in Africa.)
Location in the Zoo
African Forest
Cool Animal Fact
Giraffe ‘horns’ aren’t actually horns at all – they are called ossicones, which are formed by cartilage and covered in skin. When babies are born, their ossicones don’t quite stand up all the way – they start standing up straight as they grow.
How we Help Save Them
- The Zoo provides support for a giraffe protection program in Kenya that creates a healthy and safe habitat for giraffes and other wildlife. Hirola are one of the rarest antelope in the world and they live in the same area as giraffes. This work is saving giraffe, hirola, lions, African wild dog, and many other species.
- The Zoo provides salaries and training for Kenyan rangers conducting daily patrols.
- The Zoo provides support for Kenyan Wildlife Rangers to patrol thousands of miles to remove wire traps illegally set for wildlife and prevent poaching activity, protecting giraffe and other wildlife.
- The Zoo provides support for Kenyan Wildlife Rangers to provide medical support and treat wild giraffes caught in illegal wire traps in Kenya.
How You Can Help
Visit the Zoo! Every time you visit the Houston Zoo, you help us with this work to save giraffes in the wild.
Donate to help giraffes and hirola in the wild.
Giraffe News / More ›
Who’s New at the Houston Zoo
Houston Zoo’s Elderly Female Giraffe Dies
