Captive giraffes require specialized browse provision to meet nutritional needs and enable natural feeding behaviors that are fundamental to their welfare.
Giraffe welfare in captivity is significantly shaped by feeding opportunity quality. Restricting foraging to ground level or providing insufficient browse creates frustration, stereotypies, and nutritional inadequacy. The feeding behavior itself — the selective stripping, tongue manipulation, and prolonged head elevation — appears to have intrinsic rewarding properties beyond nutrition. Zoos that invest in elevated browse feeders, varied plant species, and extended foraging time report better body condition, lower stereotypy rates, and more natural social behavior patterns.