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DonateVirginia Zoo Keeper Walked on the Wild Side with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation
In 2024, the Virginia Zoo’s Conservation Committee designated a portion of the Zoo’s Conservation Fund to a grant that provides staff with the opportunity to engage in on-site and off-site conservation projects or community science initiatives to further their personal and professional development. Tiffany Marriner, one of the Zoo’s incredible Africa Keepers, received one of the first Conservation and Research Grants to volunteer with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation at Etosha Heights Game Preserve in Namibia. Read on to learn more about Tiffany’s experiences monitoring wild giraffe populations!
Giraffes have always fascinated me, and for good reason; despite being one of the most recognizable and charismatic animals on the African savanna, scientists still manage to learn something new and surprising about them every year! That is why it was an honor to volunteer for 12 days in March 2025 with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF), the leading conservation and research organization for giraffes in Africa. Learning and working alongside the GCF is working with the experts on giraffes, and I am thrilled to have helped them in their important conservation efforts.
My volunteer trip began in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. On my first day, I was introduced to the GCF’s Khomas Environmental Education Program (KEEP) Team. KEEP’s mission is to connect Namibian children to nature, giving them a sense of environmental stewardship and encouraging them to practice sustainable behaviors. Part of this environmental education included a 3-kilometer hike through Daan Viljoen Game Preserve.
During the hike, the KEEP team educated the school group about the difference between living things versus non-living things, water conservation, and how to identify animals by their scat (poop!) and footprints. This hike, of course, also included the opportunity to learn about giraffes. Of the four species of giraffe found throughout Africa, the Angolan giraffe (Giraffa giraffa angolensis) is native to Namibia. We spotted a few Angolan giraffes on our hike in addition to oryx and wildebeests (other hoofed animals). The KEEP team even showed the group a giraffe skull, giving the children a hands-on experience to learn about giraffes!
The next stop on my trip was the Etosha Heights Private Reserve. This privately owned land shares a border with Etosha National Park and consists of over 60,000 hectares of degraded farmland that has been transformed into a wildlife sanctuary. Etosha Heights Private Reserve has its own anti-poaching unit, land managers, and is home to the Etosha Heights Conservation Center. It was at this center that I spent the next 10 days of my trip. The Etosha Heights Conservation Center works with local universities in Namibia to house veterinary, biology, and wildlife conservation students for short periods of time, giving them access to practical, hands-on learning experiences in the field of the Private Reserve. They also work with GCF to house volunteers who assist them with their monthly giraffe surveys, which was my job for this trip!
Giraffe surveys involve counting, sexing, photographing, and identifying individuals found in a certain area. To complete a giraffe survey, the GCF coordinator, another volunteer, and I went into Etosha Heights Private Reserve and drove along a predetermined route using a GPS tracking app on a tablet. When we came across a giraffe or a herd of giraffes on our drive, we stopped, marked the coordinates of the sighting on our GPS, and recorded an estimated age and whether they were male or female to the best of our abilities. We also took pictures of each giraffe, hoping to get both their left and right side for identification, as each giraffe’s coat markings are a pattern as unique to them as a fingerprint is to us. After completing all designated routes on the reserve, we then took our survey sightings and identified each giraffe in the photos.
GCF has an identification guide for all the giraffes that have been seen so far in Etosha Heights Private Reserve. To identify the giraffes we spotted, we compared our photos from the field to known individuals found in the ID book. If their coat pattern matched a giraffe in the book, then we had a match! If not, then other GCF staff and volunteers would re-examine the photo to determine if this was an unidentified individual. After volunteers and staff examined all photos, photos of any individuals that were not identified were input to an AI program created by GCF. This program is trained to compare the giraffe images to the ID book once more, and if the AI program does not find an existing match, then they will be added to the ID book as a new individual.
Due to Etosha Heights Game Preserve sharing a border with Etosha National Park, animals of all species can cross between the two parks, including giraffes. It is possible to see one giraffe and not see them again in surveys for several months or even a year! Giraffe surveys are completed monthly to keep track of the population in the area.
GCF also uses solar-powered GPS ear tags to help monitor giraffes’ movements. These tags are small, 2-inch-long earrings placed on giraffes’ ears to help researchers learn more about their movements throughout the parks. This data has allowed researchers to compare home range size between species and even across individuals! It was interesting to me that even within the same species, the distance a giraffe travels varies substantially between individuals.
Completing giraffe surveys also taught me about giraffe social structures. According to GCF survey data, giraffes live in a social system known as fission-fusion. “Fission-fusion” is defined as a social system where individuals or small groups readily merge or split from the herd. This can differ from one population to another. I observed several different social structures on my trip, including several sub-adult males in one herd together, a few females with some sub-adult males, a few females alone, a few older males alone or in a pair with one other male, and an older male with a group of females and juveniles. I also saw a female who was missing an ear, and she seemed to rely on being close to at least one other female, probably to help be aware of her surroundings more easily. There was no one set type of social group, which was fascinating to see in the wild. Giraffes may have a preference for who they spend their time with, but they may also change their herds based on food availability, predation, or breeding.
Driving through the preserve was an amazing way to see African animals in their natural habitat. I saw both species of zebras native to Namibia – the Burchell’s plains Zebra and the Hartmann’s mountain zebra, the species we have here at the Virginia Zoo. I also saw black-faced impalas, African lions, an African elephant, steenbok, kudu, springboks, red hartebeest, black-backed jackal, ostriches, some awesome reptiles, and many different species of birds. My favorite bird to see in the wild was the African pygmy falcon.
I am incredibly thankful to the Virginia Zoo and the Virginia Zoo Conservation Committee for giving me the chance to volunteer with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation; this experience truly was a dream come true! It was an amazing opportunity to learn from giraffe experts and assist a leading conservation organization with their work. I am so excited to share what I’ve learned with guests on behind-the-scenes tours and apply this knowledge to the animals in my care here at the Zoo.
About the Author | Tiffany Marriner
Tiffany Marriner is an Africa Keeper at the Virginia Zoo and has been for the last six years. Her zookeeper journey began at Delaware Valley University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Animal Biotechnology and Conservation and specialized in Zoo Science. Her fascination with African wildlife began in 2013 after having the opportunity to spend two weeks in South Africa at a rhino rehabilitation center, but being a Rover Keeper at Cape May Zoo truly sparked Tiffany’s passion for giraffes. Tiffany first learned about the Giraffe Conservation Foundation’s volunteer program through the American Association of Zookeepers and was encouraged to apply for a spot when the Zoo introduced its Conservation and Research Grant.