Giraffes are specialised browsers adapted to feeding from tall trees for six to twelve hours daily. Replicating this feeding ecology in zoo environments is a significant welfare challenge that affects musculoskeletal health, behaviour, and time budgets.
Zoos that provide only ground-level hay and pellet feeding create chronic musculoskeletal stress for giraffes, as unnatural feeding postures place strain on the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems. Elevated browse feeders, scatter feeding at appropriate heights, and puzzle feeders that extend foraging time support natural behaviour. Giraffe welfare assessments should include time spent feeding, foraging posture distribution, and locomotion quality. Social dynamics must also be managed to ensure all individuals in a group have adequate access to elevated feeders. Keeper-trained positive reinforcement allows regular health checks without handling stress.