Zambia’s South Luangwa Valley is home to the Luangwa giraffe (Giraffa tippelskirchi thornicrofti), previously known as Thornicroft’s giraffe, a unique subspecies of the Masai giraffe (G. tippelskirchi).
The Luangwa giraffe is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List due to its small population and restricted range within a single geographic area. Notably, the population has remained stable largely stable. The most up-to-date information can be found in GCF’s State of Giraffe 2025 report, which details a population increase by 18% in the past five years to 764 individuals.
For over a decade, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation has partnered with the Zambian Carnivore Program (ZCP) and Conservation South Luangwa (CSL) to support giraffe conservation in Zambia. As part of their conservation efforts, CSL focuses on anti-poaching initiatives and de-snaring, including giraffe that occasionally fall prey to wire snares and require veterinary interventions. ZCP, inspired by the partnership with Giraffe Conservation Foundation, has monitored giraffe since 2008, and today we have joined staff working in the field.
Through our partnership with ZCP and working with other partners in Zambia, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation has significantly extended our knowledge of the known giraffe range and population numbers of Luangwa giraffe. The first-ever systematic population-wide survey forms a strong baseline, and we have gained a better understanding of giraffe numbers, range and their conservation status countrywide.
