How much does it cost to feed a giraffe?

Welcome to Twiga Terrace, our elevated giraffe feeding station! Get eye to eye with our five gentle giants while their long tongues grab lettuce right out of your hands! Giraffe feeding is $3 per person for members and $5 per person for non-members.

Not ready to feed giraffes? The top of Twiga Terrace offers tree-top like views of the savannas and Kopje Lodge. Gaze at the grazing white rhinos, wildebeest, ostriches and more from a unique perspective, or rest on the wooden benches in the center of the platform underneath the hand-carved giraffe corbels that adorn the underside of the awning.

Closed for renovations.  Stay tuned for updates!

The cost for giraffe feeding is $3 per person.  Pay at giraffe feeding area near the camel exhibit.

Marvel at the majesty of our tallest inhabitants as you visit experience one of our most interactive and popular attractions: Giraffe Feeding in Africa!

Enjoy a true nose-to-nose encounter as you feed giraffes right out of your hand!  Keepers will talk with guests about giraffes and answer questions.

*Feeding occurs weather permitting (and animal permitting) at temperatures 50 degrees or above. Subject to change without notice.

Have you ever thought of having a giraffe as a pet? And do you want to know how much does a giraffe cost? In this blog post, I’ll be telling you the price of giraffes in different countries and the cost of maintaining one.

Contents show

1 How much does a giraffe cost?

2 Where can I buy a giraffe?

3 Can you keep a giraffe as a pet?

4 How much does feeding a giraffe cost?

5 Is it legal to own a giraffe?

6 In which states of the United States is it legal to own a giraffe?

7 Conclusion On how much does a giraffe cost

8 Get coupons and discount on pet products!

How much does a giraffe cost?

In the united states of America, the price of a giraffe ranges from $9,000 to $100,000 depending on the age, and physical condition of the giraffe. In some locations, you might be required to pay a license fee to own a giraffe.

The cost of a giraffe can vary significantly according to its gender, status, age, and location. It is not as simple as going to a park circus and purchasing an animal from them if you discover that they have an excess of animals. As a rule, zoos do not sell their animals because the primary purpose of keeping them in captivity is to ensure the survival of the species.

The process of acquiring a giraffe as a pet can be tedious and the best way is to partner up with a. zoo, as it is not possible to keep a pet giraffe in residential areas.

The three elephants at the Audubon Zoo have quite an appetite: Each one can polish off nearly 100 pounds of hay per day. But it’s worth noting that the primates are also voracious eaters. On a daily basis, these vegetarians devour about 170 pounds of produce — ranging from leafy greens and red peppers, to juicy tomatoes and different types of squash. Within the same time frame, the leggy flamingos will zip through a 50-pound bag of vitamin-rich food, comprised of corn, fish and soy meal. Each bag costs about $80.

The sea lions also have expensive tastes: They prefer imported squid, capelin, herring and other types of fresh fish. And although anteaters are insectivores, they love the taste of soft avocado every now and then.

Staffers create “bat mix” by blending produce, including apples, bananas, celery, carrots, grapes, cucumber and pears. And the giraffes eat alfalfa and wild herbivore grain, which contains soy, oat, and beet pulp. Greens and carrots are given as treats.

The bottom line? It costs about $70,000 a month to feed all 15,000 animals and aquatic species inhabiting the Audubon Zoo and the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. And a major drop in revenue has made it difficult to do that.

“Any help we could get, especially in these troubled times, is really appreciated,” said Charles Braun, the animal commissary manager of Audubon Zoo. "We like to keep all our animals healthy.”

Audubon Nature Institute acknowledged recently that it is facing a financial crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although it typically welcomes 750,000 visitors during the summer months, it saw nearly an 80% decrease in activity this year.

Audubon’s estimated loss of revenue, directly related to its facility closures from March to June, was about $21 million. It reduced its staff by nearly 75%, laying off over 500 full-time and part-time employees.

Because of Audubon’s pre-COVID number of employees and annual revenue, the institute is ineligible to benefit from certain COVID-19 relief packages. And although the zoo and aquarium have reopened, they can operate only at a limited capacity, hindering their ability to generate revenue.

So the storied institute is calling on the community for help — through collaborations with other organizations and individuals.

“We can't close the doors on our animals, and we continue to provide them with exceptional care, but it's a significant cost to feed them every week,” said Rebecca Dietz, Audubon’s executive vice president of public affairs and general counsel.

A recent collaboration includes Audubon’s partnership with Rouses Markets.

Rouses supplied Audubon with a month’s worth of food, with deliveries arriving at the zoo each week. And during the month of October, the supermarket chain offered customers the opportunity to add $1, $5 or $10 to their grocery bill — money that directly benefits Audubon’s animals.

“There was an awareness that the zoo was having some trouble feeding their animals during this time, due to the pandemic,” said Tim Acosta, the marketing and advertising director for Rouses Markets. “We just picked up the phone and gave them a call to see if there was anything we could do to help them out.”

Acosta said the campaign resonated with shoppers right away.

“Once we put up the signage and began promoting it, the customers picked up to it very quickly,” he said. “I guess it made them stop and think: ‘Hey, this is important.’ Because everybody loves to take their kids to the zoo.”

As of Oct. 20, Audubon had raised nearly $10,000. Even after the campaign ends, however, folks can make donations by visiting Audubon’s website for the campaign: www.youranimalsneedyou.org.

Rouses Markets and Audubon are also brainstorming ideas for a holiday marketing campaign. Although details are in the works, Dietz said the collaboration entails customers “adopting” an Audubon animal.

“We see ourselves as an important resource for the entire community, and we want to continue to be that,” said Dietz, explaining how Audubon has the ability to educate the public about wildlife conservation, and healthy eating. “We're grateful for partners like Rouses and members of the community who are willing to give a dollar. Every penny counts right now.”

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