The giraffe plasma bank

Giraffes are the tallest terrestrials on earth and the largest ruminant species alive today. Giraffes stay reproductively active year-round and have a gestation period of 15 months. Baby giraffes when born stand around 6 feet tall and have incredibly fragile long legs. The survival rate of wild born giraffe babies is only about 50% mainly due to predators, common birthing difficulties and malnutrition.

Many baby giraffes have difficulty nursing properly or difficulty standing to be able to nurse. The mother’s first milk produced, also known as colostrum, is critical to the survival and health of the baby. Colostrum contains immune-supporting agents to help the baby survive against bad pathogens and disease. Baby giraffes are extra susceptible to pathogens and disease if colostrum is not consumed quickly after birth. Also, due to their fragile bones at birth, baby giraffes can easily be injured if they fall, stand too quickly, fall out of the birth canal the wrong way, if they experience trauma or are stepped on. Because of all these many complications, even within the care of humans, the fatality rate of baby giraffes is still 50%.

All this considered, there is still hope for our long-necked friends. There is a new and quickly developing plasma program arising to save the lives of captive baby giraffes. The giraffe plasma bank is becoming a huge deal especially amongst zoos and exotic veterinary practices. It started in 2017, when a giraffe named Lance was trained at the Columbus Zoo to voluntarily give blood, making the process less stressful and simple. Lance’s donations went to save the life of a baby giraffe who was given the plasma to help boost their immune system. Since 2017, Lance has donated over 20 liters of blood and saved the lives of 12 baby giraffes.

I spoke with a giraffe keeper at Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo about the plasma bank. The keeper informed me that 14-year-old Jawara, the only adult male giraffe at the zoo, is their top plasma donor and has saved the lives of four babies so far, including baby Kay at the Lincoln Children's Zoo. This was fascinating to me. As I stared at the impressive 19-foot majestic giraffe standing in the corner, I thought about how amazing it is that we are able to train such massive animals to donate life-saving blood. 

The giraffe plasma bank is a fairly new developing program so there is not much detailed information as of yet. The plasma from donated blood is providing baby giraffes with the much needed immune support they may not have been able to receive from their mothers on time. This program is a growing success and definitely one to watch and get interesting stories from.

By: Myka Blake