New Publication About Giraffe Allonursing

Back in February, we reported on a remarkable case of an adult female giraffe in Tarangire National Park allowing several calves to nurse at the same time. Today the report was published in the African Journal of Ecology.

In our new paper "Simultaneous multiple-calf allonursing by a wild Masai giraffe," we provide the first documentation of three calves nursing at the same time from one adult female in the wild. This unusual sighting suggests that for animals that live in social groups and share in caring of young, the benefits of sometimes allowing other females' calves to nurse might be greater than the costs.

We thank all of our funders who support our research, including University of Zurich and Penn State University; Parrotia, Temperatio, Promotor, and Claraz foundations; and our long-term partners at Columbus Zoo, Sacramento Zoo, Tierpark Berlin and Zoo Berlin, Tulsa Zoo, and Cincinnati Zoo.

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