GCF Success at the First Ever Giraffe Conference in Phoenix, Arizona

The newly formed International Association of Giraffe Care Professionals (www.giraffecare.org) hosted the first ever dedicated giraffe conference in Phoenix, Arizona in February 2010. Targeted primarily towards the captive management world (zoos), the organisers also welcomed numerous ‘wild’ conservation and management professionals to present and discuss the various giraffe issues facing the zoo and wild world today.

One of our founding Trustees, Dr. Julian Fennessy, was invited to be the keynote speaker at the conference. This was great kudos for his years of dedication to giraffe, and in particular bringing networks of people together in their support. From all accounts he gave an inspiring and informative overview of Africa’s giraffe and their conservation situation which was a real eye opener to many; notably the hard facts that there are fewer than 80,000 individuals from 9 reported subspecies remaining in the wild – a drop of greater than 30% in the last decade alone! Highlighting the need for collaboration, Julian invited the captive and wild world to come together to raise support and impart knowledge around the world so that everyone can understand fully the plight of giraffe today.

The conference was a great success with presentations, posters and workshops on all things giraffe, and the interaction between all those attending was inspiring. Many quoted that this was the best and most integrated wildlife meeting that they had attended which is a credit to IAGCP and the many involved in giraffe care and conservation – inclusion the key!

GCF was fortunate to receive benefits from the silent auction hosted by IAGCP during the conference and would like to thank them for this fantastic support. These funds will go directly to supporting conservation and management actions on the ground in Africa.

Additionally, GCF scooped some of the awards on offer which were targeted at giving credit to the actions of key giraffe players around the world. Our very own Julian Fennessy and Niger Giraffe Project’s Jean-Patrick Suraud received an award each which is great acknowledgement for the hard work and dedication they have put into research and conservation efforts over the years. Additionally, Dr. Anne Innis-Dagg was awarded with a lifetime achievement award and in future this award will be named after her as a credit to her inspiring and pioneering work. Congratulations to all!

Camelopardalis Innovation Award
Honoring those who have made monumental advancements in the knowledge and understanding of the giraffe species and sub-species as a whole

IAGCP Conservation and Research Award

Recognizing those whose outstanding efforts have made a significant contribution to conservation or research efforts for giraffe