Energy and Fibre Intake in a Group of Captive Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) Offered Increasing Amounts of Browse

Abstract

We investigated the effect of diet on intake of energy and fibre in a group of three captive adult giraffe by weighing offered diet items and leftovers for 7 days after an adaptation period of 7 days. Digestion coefficients were calculated using, as internal marker, the acid detergent lignin content of a faecal sample pooled from subsamples taken during the last 5 days of intake measurement. Two lucerne hay-only diets of differing quality (L1, L2) were fed, as well as the regular diet of lucerne hay and concentrates (L2C), and the regular diet supplemented with 3 or 6 kg of edible, fresh browse material (L2CB3, L2CB6). The proportion of roughage in the ingested diets L2CB6 (45 +/- 5% dry matter), L2CB3 (35 +/- 3%) and L2C (37 +/- 10%) did not differ significantly. Digestible energy intake was low on the hay-only diets [L1: 0.28 +/- 0.06 MJ/kg body weight (BW)0.75; L2: 0.33 +/- 0.10 MJ/kg BW0.75] and increased from L2C (0.60 +/- 0.13 MJ/kg BW0.75) to a significant increase with L2CB3 (0.72 +/- 0.17 MJ/kg BW0.75); no further increase was obvious for L2CB6 (0.63 +/- 0.15MJ/kg BW0.75). The results confirm that giraffes are unlikely to meet energy requirements on lucerne hay-only diets. In a feeding scenario where both lucerne hay and the concentrate component of the diet are fed ad libitum, the animals tended to exchange hay for browse when browse was added. Only the higher level of browse supplementation led to a potentially beneficial increase in fibre intake. Whether additional browse supplementation will lead to increased intakes in a feeding scenario with restricted concentrate provision can be suspected but remains to be demonstrated.

The Nutrition of “Browsers”

“…In contrast, the addition of 6 kg of the same browse material did not increase the overall intake any further. 37 However, the browse was always consumed completely, and total DM intake is only one parameter of interest; in particular, long-term effects of such a feeding regimen are difficult to document.…”

Tooth Wear in Captive Giraffes (Giraffa Camelopardalis): Mesowear Analysis Classifies Free-Ranging Specimens as Browsers but Captive Ones as Grazers

“…It has been observed that giraffe do not ingest grass hay or alfalfa hay, if fed this food alone, in quantities that one would expect for a ruminant of this size. 15,24 A potential inadequacy of hays offered has been suspected to be a major contributing cause to the difficulties experienced in giraffe feeding. 7 One of the major health issues in captive giraffe is the phenomenon of animals dying of unknown causes, often having serous fat atrophy at necropsy (formerly termed ''peracute mortality syndrome'').…”

Monitoring the behavioral and adrenal activity of giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) to assess welfare during seasonal housing changes.

“…Many northern zoos house giraffe in two separate spaces depending on season, although little information is available regarding whether they experience behavioral variation between these two seasonal exhibits. Similarly to cattle, giraffe behavior consists of high foraging levels (Duggan, Burn, & Clauss, 2015;Hatt et al, 2005). Wild populations of giraffe are reported to spend about 60% of the daytime foraging (Bashaw, Tarou, Maki, & Maple, 2001;Pellew, 1984).…”