In captivity, it is impossible to feed giraffes with their favourite acacia branches. Instead, we give them branches of birch, willow and rowan, fixing them with special clamps at a height comfortable for them to reach. Apart from this, the daily diet of a giraffe at our zoo includes 15 kg of grass or hay and 5 kg of bread, bran, vegetables, and apples. In the wild, giraffes seldom take a drink, since it means splaying legs in an awkward position which makes them extremely vulnerable to attack by their principal enemy, the African lion. Moisture present in plants is usually enough to satisfy their need for it.
Giraffes like to nuzzle each other tenderly and to rub their heads and necks together.
During courtship females adopt a swinging gait quite irresistible to the males. In a few minutes it can stand alone and within two days manages to run quite efficiently. Being born in the open, it has to be active immediately. Giraffes are of particular interest to naturalists, since they contradict the general rule of mammals' body structure. All the mammals, except the giraffe, have their longer axis parallel to the ground, or horizontal, while the giraffe's longer axis is vertical.