Thanks for all the replies and help, but at those prices and my "iffy" climatic conditions, I'm probably going to wait for the supply to catch up with the demand, meaning lower prices, or a giraffe close out sale.

Cat,

Toys "R" Us may be getting out of the toy business. You could probably pick up Jeffery at a real steal.

By the way, I should get my Giraffe back pretty soon. I'm going to have my Hippo made into a coffee table. It should look cool!

Giraffe can be had in the USA, but the demand outstrips the supply. Males are somewhat easy to come by, but females are on the waiting list. Young bulls are bringing in the neighborhood of $15,000US and females are from $30,000 to $50,000US.

Adult animals are very difficult to transport, but it can be done.

Giraffe will tolerate very little cold weather. Obviously they will survive some frosty weather, they do it in RSA. But 20 degree temps and snow are good ways to have an expensive giraffe funeral. Giraffe can't acclimate to cold weather very well, and they have a lot of exposed skin.

If you're going to spend the dollars for the giraffe, then spend the dollars to build a suitable shelter for hard weather.

If you're still looking for giraffe, then contact me and I'll put you together with several people that can supply your wants.


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I suspect you'd have to do a very careful study on this (given the price of Giraffe!) I know SA ranchers who have had incredible difficulty getting Giraffe to settle (survive) on their property, while those across the road did very well. The main problem seemed to be one of adequate browse, so you might well need to supplement the natural browse. Whatever, it was a VERY expensive mistake for a VERY miserly rancher

I have a feeling that ALF might be able to give some valuable insight here. Good luck, either way.

Go to www.ecoassist.co.za; they are South African based environmental consultants and their membership base reaches all the top wildlife people in Africa. They will post your request and send the relevant info back to you. I have used them before with brilliant results.

How do you plan on moving a giraffe?

Gato,

Contact the YO Ranch, they have an annual sale and might have one or two at the auction. Also contact Kifaru auction house. I will see if I can get their number for you.

He's gonna throw a saddle over it and ride it back. It is Texas.

Giraffes breed quite readily in captivity but like so many other ungulates, the males can be quite aggressive and hard to manage. I believe that is the reason why you so seldom see fully adult males in zoos. They weight nearly 2T and have a hoof that is a good 6-8" long. Imagine the kick! Also, many people envision the "necking" duels as symbolic dominence contests. Bosh! The skull is nearly 3 ft. long and the head weighs over 50 lbs. Given the 10' neck as a handle, what kind of hammer does that total? Also, they can step over a 5-6' fence. I suspect that you ought to think this over veerrryyyy carefully!
BOL,