Female giraffe arrives at safari park in bid to boost breeding programme

An endangered Rothschild’s giraffe has been welcomed to a safari park in Scotland in a bid to boost breeding.

Noinin, a seven-year-old female, arrived at Blair Drummond Safari Park near Stirling on Thursday.

The 16ft giraffe travelled from Fota Wildlife Park in County Cork, Ireland, in a special transporter, with a three-hour ferry crossing from Dublin to Holyhead, followed by a 337-mile road trip north.

Noinin will be introduced to Sifa, a Rothschild’s giraffe who arrived at Blair Drummond in 2023 as part of the European Endangered Species Programme, in a bid to create genetic diversity in the breeding programme.

The species has seen a dramatic population decline of 30% since the 1980s, with less than 2,000 remaining in the wild, according to zoologists.

Noinin will be integrated into the giraffe herd as part of a carefully managed breeding programme aimed at supporting the survival of the species, and will live in a mixed species habitat.

The pair are hoped to contribute to preserving genetic diversity and ensuring the long-term survival of Rothschild’s giraffes.

Kristine Fennessy Alexander, animal collection manager at Blair Drummond, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Noinin to the park.

“Rothschild’s giraffes are facing significant challenges in the wild, and breeding programmes like this one are essential in helping secure the future of the species.

“Noinin has already begun exploring her new surroundings, and we are excited for her and Sifa to hopefully form a successful breeding pair.”