New Arrivals
Giraffe

Giraffe Arrival

After more than two years of planning, Shire Valley Conservation is delighted to welcome five Southern giraffes from Zimbabwe’s Lowveld region to their new home at the 750-hectare Thangadzi River Conservancy in Malawi’s Lower Shire Valley.

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The success of the project is a major achievement for SVC’s efforts to enhance mammal biodiversity, raise awareness of the growing pressures facing Africa’s wildlife and natural ecosystems, and contribute to the conservation of one of Africa’s most iconic species.

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“We are delighted to welcome five healthy young giraffes to Thangadzi River Conservancy,” said Chris Matthews, Head of Conservation at SVC. “Their arrival will help increase awareness and understanding among our visitors of the growing challenges facing Africa’s wildlife and natural ecosystems.’

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Giraffes remain a familiar sight in protected areas in Southern Africa, yet overall populations have fallen by 30-40% in recent decades. Contrary to popular belief, many giraffes live outside formally protected areas, leaving them vulnerable to habitat loss and fragmentation, civil unrest, and bushmeat hunting. Yet their plight has been overshadowed by the more visible conservation efforts surrounding rhinos, elephants, and gorillas, leading to what conservationists have dubbed a ‘silent decline’.

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Selected as sub-adults to maximize their future breeding potential, our new arrivals—two males and three females — traveled over 1,000 kilometers from the lowveld region in Southern Zimbabwe with an experienced team of vets and wildlife experts. The giraffes will initially remain in a special enclosure, carefully monitored by our wildlife experts, while they settle into their new home, before being fully released into the wider 750-hectare reserve to join an expanding wildlife population that already includes buffalo, Eland, kudu, nyala, waterbuck, zebra, Livingstone suni, pangolin, porcupine and troops of the rare Samango monkey.

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Home to one of Malawi’s last remaining riparian forests and overlooking the neighboring Elephant Marsh - a unique wetland certified by Ramsar for its remarkable bird diversity - Thangadzi River Conservancy provides an ideal habitat for mid- and high-browsing species and can support up to 25 giraffes. Yet with a 15-month gestation period and an average rate of one calf every three years, population growth will take time. However, every successful population begins with a foundation group. The long-term objective is to establish a thriving population that contributes to conservation in collaboration with other parks and conservancies in Malawi and beyond.

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The giraffe translocation was conducted alongside partner Conservation Management, and in full compliance with the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks), Malawi’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), and certified by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)